I was broken.

And I had known.

For weeks.

From the very moment I stood in that ruined village and saw the cracked walls and empty storehouses, I knew it was Akaza. I had assigned him the funds myself. I had trusted him to transform those villages into thriving districts. I wanted them protected. I wanted them to rise like inner cities, strong and self-sufficient.

Instead, he diverted the money.

To hire killers.

To kill a girl.

I did not even want to know why he convinced himself it was justified. The reason would not undo the betrayal.

I leaned my head further back against the chair. The ceiling blurred above me.

I had known him since childhood. I had trusted him with my kingdom, my people, my blind spots.

I would have never expected this.

My hand reached for the nearest object. I hurled it against the wall. It shattered on impact. The sound echoed hollow in the room.

I dragged both hands down my face and inhaled deeply.

I have been betrayed too many times. Hurt too many times.

And now Akaza.

Aaliyah’s eyes when she thought it was her fault.

Now the group is broken.

“Damn it.”

I should have killed him.

My hands curled into fists. The pain burned deep in my chest. It wanted to turn into tears. It clawed at my throat.

I refused.

I cannot cry for someone who chose to wound me.
And who chose to harm a human he knew I—

I inhaled sharply and cut the thought short.

The image of our youth pressed into my mind like a scar.

Yokai. Akaza. Me.

Three filthy boys in torn undershirts. Bare feet on cracked earth. Sharing a stolen piece of bread we found in the street. Sleeping in abandoned corners among rats. Surviving.

A wandering mage who captured memories on enchanted plates once passed through our village. He found us laughing over nothing. He took a photograph of us.

We were smiling.

Happy.

Back then, survival was our only ambition. We fought for the next sunrise, not for crowns or politics.
Back then, we fought to live. Now I fight to maintain a life that devours everything around it.

Sometimes I wish I could remove this throne like a coat.

Like Aaliyah could.

A woman who carries strength without armor.