At that moment The king’s words still lingered in the room like sacred echoes.
“Like I said, I’m giving you another chance, Tyler… to choose either one of my daughters.”
And for the first time, a flicker of expectation glimmered on the king’s face.
He stood tall, proud, confident–his arms at his side, the crown’s weight once again heavy on his shoulders, but his gaze softening toward Tyler.
There was no mockery in his voice now, no disbelief, only quiet recognition.
A ruler had seen a man who acted like a king without needing the title.
However Tyler’s eyes remained unreadable.
Then he felt another presence,
He turned slightly and there stood Edda, his robes swaying lightly as he gave a small, respectful nod toward Tyler.
“Listen,” Edda said gently but firmly, stepping forward. “It is unheard of completely unheard of for anyone to reject the king’s reward.”
Chapter 25
+25 BONUS
At that moment he held up one hand, almost in emphasis, as if speaking not just to Tyler, but to the princess’s as well.
“Kings across the generations have made promises in moments of desperation. But few have ever seen those promises fulfilled with such honor.”
Edda then turned slightly and gestured gracefully toward the right side of the throne hall.
“This is Sophia,” he said. “The second daughter of His Majesty.”
“If she is the one you truly find worthy… if your heart leans toward her, then pick her.”
Again Tyler turned his head, slowly, calmly.
His eyes met Sophia’s, she was still seated in her silver–gilded chair, quiet and composed. But there was something new now an emotion dancing just behind her soft gaze.
She had said nothing this entire time, not once.
Not even a whisper, but now, as the full weight of the hall’s eyes fell upon her her father, her sister, the elder, the guards, who had watched this drama unfold Sophia responded in the only way that mattered.
She nodded, a soft, graceful motion.
Not rushed, Not dramatic, Just… real.
But that single, subtle nod sent a ripple through the chamber.
Because it wasn’t just a nod of politeness.
It wasn’t out of duty. It wasn’t forced, there was no pride in her expression. No fear. No
hesitation.
She saw Tyler as he was tattered clothes, wild hair, calloused hands, and the quiet strength of a man who didn’t chase power because he was power.
She saw all of that, And she nodded.
And in that one moment, everyone in the chamber could tell.
She meant it, She didn’t care how he looked.
She didn’t care that he had been mocked, dragged, or spat on outside those palace gates.
She nodded because she had accepted, She nodded because she was willing.
She nodded because, if Tyler chose her…She would stand beside him without shame.
At that moment the atmosphere inside the grand hall grew heavier by the second.
All eyes were still on Sophia after her graceful nod, the kind that spoke volumes without a single word.
Chapter 25
+25 BONUS
But then, Edda slowly raised his hand again and shifted attention toward the other side of the
throne.
His voice was steady, but even he seemed to sense the storm in the air.
“This,” Edda said, turning his head toward the woman draped in royal gold and crimson, “is Princess Naomi. The first daughter of His Majesty.”
He nodded once, his tone formal and firm.
“If you choose her, Tyler, you will be crowned the future king of this country.”
The words echoed with weight.
Even the way they were said carried the promise of unimaginable power.
But Naomi Naomi didn’t nod.
She didn’t move either, she sat perfectly still, eyes locked on Tyler with a gaze sharp enough to cut through steel.
There was no warmth in her expression. No grace. No acceptance, Just fire, and eyes like poison.
Her lips pressed tightly together, her nostrils flaring just slightly as she forced herself to remain composed in front of her father.
But inside her mind, it was a battlefield of bitter outrage.
‘This… this lowborn… filth?
This stray dog in rags is the one they’re all looking at like he’s some kind of miracle worker?‘
Her thoughts screamed inside her head, louder than the voice of reason, she refused to believe
- it.
She refused to believe that this man this beggar was the one who had healed her father.
No. Impossible, In her mind, she kept pacing.
“There were top healers,‘ she hissed internally, ‘true professionals legendary physicians, war medics, and old sect masters who had been coming in and out of this palace for months.‘
They’ve tried everything. Every technique. Every spiritual method. Every forbidden root and herb.
And now, this… this peasant walks in and touches her father with filthy hands and suddenly, he’s healed? She wouldn’t allow that to be the truth.
Not for one second, It didn’t sit right, It didn’t make sense.
The only thing that made sense in her mind was that one of the more qualified physicians had finally discovered a slow–acting remedy. Something subtle. Something that took time.
175 WARR
And Tyler, this dirt–covered fraud, just happened to walk in at the coract moment the medicine took effect
He was lucky, he was nothing more than a lucky bastard
And now the entire court was being blinded by his timing. They were all swallowing the lie.
She couldn’t believe Her father her powerful, wise father was praising a man who deserved to be at the palace gates, not beside a throne,
Naomi clenched her fists under the folds of her gown.
I will expose him, she thought darkly,‘
‘I don’t care how calm he looks, how quiet he acts, how “humble” he tries to appear, I will drag his name through fire and dust, I will prove to everyone that he did nothing
He just got lucky. That’s all it was.‘
Her eyes narrowed even further as she stared at Tyler with disgust.
‘Over my dead body will he lay a hand on me, ‘she hissed inside. ‘Over my dead body will a stinking, poor–looking piece of garbage like him be allowed to even stand next to me?
She wanted to spit, She wanted to scream, but she didn’t, not here. Not now, Still, her thoughts festered.
For my father to even consider someone like this as king… it’s a disgrace.
A humiliation to the royal family.
She looked around the room, imagining the world outside these palace walls.
‘What happens when the people find out? That a nobody, a street rat, is next in line for the throne?‘
She could see it clearly.
“The empire will crumble. The noble families will riot. The factions will rebel. They’ll tear him apart. In days. Maybe hours, he won’t survive a single day.‘
Her jaw clenched.
‘No…The next king of this country must come from a name that carries power–weight–fear, Like the Nathaniel, Or the Bushman.‘
And in her mind, she scoffed darkly.
“That’s the least I can go for.‘
