Chapter 76. It Can Easily Be Your Fall

Nathan's POV

The grand hall echoes with the announcement, and I stand, the weight of prestige heavy on my shoulders. Gold and marble reflect my image: King Nathan Chambers, the embodiment of Luparian nobility, my reputation untarnished, gleaming as brightly as the chandeliers overhead.

"Your grace," they address me, bowing their heads in renewed respect; a sea of subjects acknowledging the tide has turned back in my favour. Relief spreads through me, fleeting as it is consumed by an insatiable hunger for more- more power, more control, more... everything.

Beside me, Poppy Hale, her eyes alight with triumph, basks in the reflection of my success. As promised, she now wears the cloak of nobility, its crimson fabric draping over her delicate shoulders, the mark of her newfound status among the elite. But the sight of her is like ash in my mouth.

"Poppy," I murmur, and she turns, her smile bright, unaware of the storm brewing within me. &