His Bride, Her Revenge-Chapter 84: The Weight of Royalty

The fall had been more than physical.

Cambria lay motionless, her body aching, darkness pressing against her eyelids. Somewhere far away, muffled voices rose and fell like waves crashing on distant shores. Slowly, agonizingly, awareness returned.

She wasn’t alone.

A cold, clinical light pierced the gloom. The scent of antiseptic filled the air, sharp and unforgiving. The steady beep of monitors, the soft hiss of machinery. She opened her eyes, vision blurry, the world slowly snapping into focus.

She was in a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around her legs and arm. A faint pulse of pain throbbed in her side, the memory of the fall vivid as a fresh wound.

A figure stood nearby a tall woman in dark clothing, her expression unreadable.

"Cambria," the woman said quietly, voice gentle but edged with steel. "You’re awake."

Cambria tried to sit up, but a sharp jolt forced her back down. "Where am I?"

"In a secure medical facility. You were rescued after the collapse at Knox’s warehouse."

Cambria’s mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened. The betrayal, the explosion, Maddox’s face, the fall into darkness.

"Brienne?" she whispered.

The woman nodded. "She’s outside with security. You were lucky to survive."

Cambria swallowed hard, pain flickering across her features. "And Knox?"

The woman’s eyes darkened. "He vanished after the attack. But his plans... they’re bigger than we thought."

She paused, then added, "There’s talk of him establishing a shadow court one that mirrors your own but pledges allegiance to him. He’s not just trying to kill you, Cambria. He’s trying to replace you."

Days passed. Cambria’s body healed slowly, but her mind was restless, haunted by shadows of betrayal and the relentless pressure of her lineage.

As the rightful heir to the Blackwood Empire, Cambria had always known the crown came with burdens. But nothing had prepared her for the crushing reality of the throne’s weight in this war.

News filtered in Knox was tightening his grip on key political figures, sowing chaos among her allies. The Queen’s Council was fracturing. The kingdom teetered on the brink of civil war. Territories loyal to the crown were growing silent, their leaders either coerced or eliminated.

Cambria sat alone in the grand chamber of the Blackwood estate, the walls adorned with portraits of ancestors who had fought wars of blood and fire for this crown.

She traced her fingers over the ancient seal on the table, the symbol of authority and legacy.

Her reflection in the polished surface was ghostlike tired eyes, clenched jaw, a queen in exile on her own soil.

A sudden knock at the door shattered the silence.

"Enter," Cambria called, voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

The heavy oak door swung open, revealing Lucien Vale, her father, long believed dead, now very much alive.

His eyes were sharp, calculating. The man who had been her greatest mystery now stood before her, an enigma wrapped in secrets.

"Father," Cambria breathed, a mixture of relief and suspicion flooding her.

Lucien’s smile was cold. "You survived. Impressive."

"Why now? After all these years?"

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Because the kingdom needs me. Because the enemy grows stronger. Because... you need me."

Cambria’s heart tightened. His presence was both a balm and a threat.

Word spread quickly: Lucien Vale was back.

The Queen’s Council convened urgently. Cambria, still recovering, found herself thrust into a web of political intrigue and fractured loyalties.

Lord Hargrave, her most trusted advisor, eyed Lucien with suspicion. "We cannot trust a man who disappeared when the kingdom needed him most."

Lucien’s response was a quiet fury. "I left to protect the realm in my own way. You think Knox plays fair? I am the only one with the strength to stop him."

The room buzzed with tension, nobles murmuring behind steepled fingers and guarded eyes. Lady Rhianne of Eldwyne whispered, "If Lucien truly is back, the game has changed. Old alliances must be questioned."

Cambria felt the weight of the crown more than ever. She was caught between a father’s return, a traitor in her midst, and a kingdom on the brink of collapse.

Her voice rang clear in the chamber: "This isn’t a time for old wounds. It’s time to unite. We fight Knox together or we all fall."

Late that night, Cambria confronted Lucien in the private gardens. The moon cast pale light over the blooming roses, but shadows lingered beneath the surface.

"I need to know everything," she said. "Why did you really leave? What have you been doing all these years?"

Lucien’s gaze was distant. "I’ve been watching. Waiting. Preparing. Knox isn’t just a man, he’s a movement. A darkness that wants to consume the crown and the kingdom."

He stepped closer, voice low. "And you... you are the key to stopping it."

Cambria shivered. The truth was heavier than she expected.

Back inside the estate, a secret watcher observed from the shadows a figure cloaked in black, eyes gleaming with malice.

Knox’s plans were unfolding, and this spy reported every move Cambria made.

"The Queen’s strength is wavering," the figure muttered. "Soon, the walls will close in completely."

Days turned into weeks. The kingdom’s unrest grew louder. Protests in the streets, rumors of assassination attempts, whispered threats against Cambria’s life.

Yet, in the quiet moments, Cambria steeled herself.

She was no longer just a pawn in a game of thrones. She was a queen forged by fire, weighed down by legacy but lifted by purpose.

She gathered her closest allies in the war room, maps and strategy spread before them.

"This is our moment," she said, voice fierce. "Knox believes he can break us. But we will stand. We will fight. We will win."

That night, as Cambria prepared to rest, an urgent message arrived.

"Queen Cambria," Brienne’s voice crackled over the secure line. "It’s the palace. There’s been an attack. They’ve taken the Crown Jewels."

Cambria’s heart stopped.

The Crown Jewels, the symbol of her family’s rule, the very essence of the monarchy’s legitimacy were gone.

And with them, the kingdom’s faith in her.

Outside, the cold wind howled, carrying a whispered warning on its breath:

The walls are closing in... and the throne is more vulnerable than ever.