The heavy silence that followed Simone's departure from the court was quickly filled by hushed voices, whispering among themselves. His siblings, now alone in the grand hall, gathered in a secluded corner, their faces a mixture of shock, anger, and confusion.
Adrian's voice, low and filled with frustration, was the first to break the silence. "This can't happen. He can't be Crown Prince. He doesn't even want the title! He's not fit for this." His eyes glinted with a fierce determination, but there was a trace of uncertainty in his voice that hadn't been there before.
Livia stood beside him, her usual fiery demeanor tempered by the gravity of the situation. "He's not the same person we grew up with. He's—he's something else now. You saw it. The power, the coldness. I don't trust him. What if he tries to take everything from us?"
Cassian, ever the pragmatic one, folded his arms, his expression dark. "We need to act fast. If he stays as Crown Prince, he could ruin everything we've worked for. He's too strong, too unpredictable now."
Selene's voice, soft and measured, cut through the tension. "We need to find a way to convince Father that Simone is not fit for the throne. But... we can't do it openly. Not without making it worse. He's too dangerous now. I never expected him to change like this."
Dorian, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly spoke, his tone laced with anger. "How could Father have let this happen? We were all blind, thinking Simone was weak. We should've seen this coming." His eyes flickered with disdain. "And now look at him. He's not the brother we knew. He's a threat to all of us."
Helena, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "It's not just his power... It's what he's become. He's cold. I don't even know if he's still the same Simone who was so shy and afraid of everything."
Felix, who had remained in the shadows for much of the conversation, sighed deeply. "Whatever happened to him... It's not the Simone we grew up with. But we can't let him keep the title. If he does, we're all doomed."
The room fell silent, each sibling lost in their own thoughts. The weight of Simone's transformation hung over them like a dark cloud. They knew that he had to be stopped. His newfound power and icy demeanor were more than just unsettling—they were a threat to the empire, to their birthright.
Little did they know, Simone was closer than they realized.
From the shadows, hidden from sight, Simone's blood-red eyes glowed faintly as he stood at the edges of the room, listening to every word. His power of darkness allowed him to hear every whisper, see every movement in the room. His siblings' voices, once familiar and comforting, now sounded foreign, laced with contempt and fear. He felt a cold knot twist in his stomach as he overheard their plans.
"He's a threat to all of us."
"He's too strong. Too unpredictable."
"We can't let him keep the title."
"We need to stop him."
The pain was almost unbearable, but he hid it well, as he always did. He didn't let his siblings know that their words, their plans, hurt more than any of the physical training he had endured. They saw him as nothing more than a monster now, a threat to be destroyed. Their voices rang in his ears, the hatred and fear clear in every syllable. He was no longer the shy, overweight boy they had once known. He was something else. And they were terrified.
As Simone retreated further into the shadows, the dark corners of the palace seemed to close in on him. He had always been able to see and hear things that others couldn't—shadows whispered to him, voices echoed in the dark. The power of Darkness had become his most trusted companion, and it gave him the ability to know everything happening around him, even when no one thought he was listening.
The whispers only made him colder, harder. He had wanted nothing more than to be left alone, to not have the crown thrust upon him. But his father's manipulation, his siblings' disdain, and the weight of his power had forced his hand. Now, as the newly appointed Crown Prince, he would have to endure the world's judgment, even if it meant becoming the very thing his family feared.
But as the days went on, Simone's new role as Crown Prince shocked everyone. Despite their assumptions that he would crumble under the weight of responsibility, Simone's work was impeccable. The nobles, courtiers, and officials expected him to fail. They believed that the timid boy they had once known couldn't possibly handle the empire's affairs. But Simone exceeded all expectations. His decisions were calculated, sharp, and unnervingly effective. His intelligence, once overshadowed by his shyness, now shone through like a beacon.
He had learned more in the months of his isolation than anyone had imagined possible. His understanding of politics, strategy, and the inner workings of the empire surpassed even the most experienced officials. He had been forced to endure countless hours of training, but the true benefit had been the sharpening of his mind. Now, as the Crown Prince, he was a force to be reckoned with.
And as the days passed, Simone couldn't ignore the whispers that continued to fill the air. His siblings spoke of him as though he were a monster. They saw him as a threat. And yet, he couldn't escape the cold feeling that lingered in his chest—the pain of knowing that his family, the ones who should have been his allies, now feared and despised him. The hurt festered, and he became even colder, more distant, his heart a frozen shell.
He couldn't stop hearing their words, and the more he heard, the more he realized that he would never be able to go back to the way things were. His siblings would never accept him, never understand him. They would never see him as the brother they had once known.
And so, he embraced the darkness fully. He would become what they feared. He would become the ruler they all needed him to be, but never wanted him to be.
Simone's power was growing stronger by the day, and with each passing moment, his grip on the empire—and his family's fate—tightened. He was no longer the timid, overweight boy who had wanted nothing more than to be left alone. He was the Crown Prince. And he would make them all see him for what he truly was.
The empire would be his. Whether they liked it or not.