Upon hearing what Tyler just said, the room remained still, Tyler’s final words echoed quietly through the golden chamber, lingering in the minds of everyone present like a weight dropped into still water.
No one spoke.
Then the king leaned back slowly in his throne, eyes fixed on Tylernot with anger, not with confusion, but with something deeper.
He was thinking, Deeply.
This wasn’t something he came across every day not in court, not in war, not in politics.
A man… who had just rejected the throne.
Who turned his back on royalty, power, and glory.
All for the sake of a mother, It wasn’t ambition that drove Tyler. It wasn’t greed. It wasn’t pride.
It was principle.
And that made him different from every other man the king had seen crawl through the palace doors in pursuit of position and privilege.
Tyler wasn’t trying to prove anything, he wasn’t here to win hearts or impress nobles.
He had his own truth, and he followed it without hesitation.
At that moment the king slowly narrowed his eyes, studying Tyler even closer now.
A man like this…‘is dangerous,‘ he thought to himself.
Not because of violence. But because of conviction.
So, the king decided he would test that resolve once more.
He straightened slightly in his seat, folding his hands atop his lap.
“You do realize,” the king said, his voice steady and probing, “that if I grant you this reward…”
At that moment he paused.
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“The other reward–marrying any of my daughters–is off the table,”
The air shifted again. Even the two daughters, still silent in their respective corners, looked to Tyler with subtle tension in their eyes.
But Tyler didn’t blink, he nodded slowly.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “I’m aware of that. I’ve already made my decision.”
He looked the king in the eye.
“What I want… I’ve already told you.”
A deep silence followed, the king, held his gaze for several long seconds.
Then slowly, his lips curved into the faintest smile not a grin, but a rare expression of respect.
“Is that truly what you want?” he asked again, giving Tyler one final chance to back down.
Tyler nodded once more.
“Yes. That is what I really want.”
The king exhaled quietly through his nose, sitting back into his gold chair, with a thoughtful look.
“Very well,” he said at last, his voice final.
“You fulfilled your side of the deal. I am standing, breathing, and stronger than I’ve been in years.”
At that moment he gestured to his own body with a quiet pride.
“And for that… I will honor your request.”
Hearing what the king just said Edda lowered his head in respectful approval, while the princess’s watched silently.
Then the king raised his hand slightly and spoke with full authority.
“You may do whatever you wish with the guards who treated your mother like trash.”
His eyes sharpened as he added, “And you may also take your mother along with you.”
For the first time in hours, Tyler’s shoulders lowered slightly.
A calm breath escaped his lips.
Finally, his mother would be free.
The guards who had spit on her, dragged her, and humiliated her would now face judgment not by the law, but by the very son they scorned.
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Still The room remained heavy, but in Tyler’s heart, something lightened.
Not from pride, not from vengeance.
But from knowing he had stood for something and won.
Without fanfare, without titles, without gold, Just truth.
At that moment he gave the king a respectful nod, turned quietly, and began walking toward the grand doors of the chamber. There was no need for further words. His mother needed him.
But just before he reached the edge of the polished marble floor, the king’s voice called out once more firm, yet filled with something new:
Young Man.”
Immediately Tyler paused.
He turned back slowly.
The king rose to his feet again, a posture regal and towering, but his expression this time… was not one of authority.
It was of admiration.
“I can’t let you leave empty–handed,” the king said clearly. “I just can’t.”
At that moment the room held its breath again.
“A promise is a promise,” the king continued, stepping forward with both hands made a promise to the entire country. And more importantly… I gave my word.”
He looked Tyler over again, this time not with disbelief, but with a quiet respect in his eyes.
“And from what I’ve seen… from your actions, your silence, your strength, your refusal to bow to greed–I know one thing about you now, Tyler.”
open.
“And I
He paused, letting the words land with weight.
“You are a man of honor.”
Still Tyler stood silently, not flinching under the weight of the king’s words.
“Even when everyone else would have accepted my reward and use his new position to get his mother free,” the king added, his voice deeper now, more sincere, “But you stood your ground, not wanting to risk anything or allow your mother suffer anymore.”
“And what you just did showed, You treated me not for reward, but out of a purpose.”
Then the king’s eyes narrowed slightly, sharp with sincerity.
“And because of that, I will allow the reward to stand.”
Chapter 24
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“And because of that, I will allow the reward to stand.”
The king words made the entire room shifted slightly. Even Edda looked surprised.
The two princesses blinked Naomi’s lips tightening ever so slightly, and Sophia’s expression unreadable.
The king turned and extended his hand toward the tall, commanding first daughter seated at the left of the throne.
“This is Princess Naomi,” the king said clearly. “My eldest daughter.”
“If you choose her, Tyler… you will become king after I am gone.
He then turned to his right and gestured to the calm, graceful figure with soft eyes and steady
silence.
“And this is princess Sophia, my second daughter.”
“If you choose her, you will become part of the royal family immediately.”
The king looked Tyler square in the eyes, a slight nod following.
“I am giving you another chance, Tyler… to choose either one of my daughters.”
