Chapter IV: The Tears Behind the Tiara (Part 2)

Taking a seat beside her, he set the blade gently in front of her.

“I never wanted this for you,” he began, his voice soft, heavy with unspoken grief. “The day you were born, I felt a joy unlike anything I’d ever known. Your mother and I… we were so afraid, but we loved you more than anything in this world. You were perfect, Elizabeth. You were meant for greatness. I knew, even then, that one day you would be crowned.”

He paused, his voice trembling ever so slightly as he continued, “But the day I first held you in my arms, I also knew there would come a time when you would have to make a choice. And I feared it, every day. For you, for your future. But now… now I understand. This is the price of our bloodline. The price of the crown.”

Elizabeth looked up at him, eyes wide with disbelief. “Why? Why me? Why does it have to be like this? Why does it have to be him?” she asked, her voice a mixture of fear and confusion.

Her father’s gaze softened, and his hand reached out to brush away a tear that had escaped down her cheek. “You have always been our greatest joy, my princess. But with that joy came a heavy burden—a responsibility. The tiara, the curse, the lives. It was never fair. I know that. But it was the price we all agreed to pay, from your mother’s line all the way down to me.”

He continued, his voice growing steadier now. “I was afraid. I was scared that I might not be able to protect you from this. But I always knew, one day, it would be you. And you would be ready. You are the strongest person I know. The strength of our ancestors flows through you, and you are ready for this—more than anyone else could ever be.”

Elizabeth looked at him in silence, her heart breaking in two. “But I don’t want this. I can’t do this,” she whispered.

Her father took a deep breath, his chest rising with a sadness she had never seen in him before. His voice was calm, but there was a heaviness in it that she couldn’t ignore. “Elizabeth, I’ve spent my life protecting you, guiding you, loving you. But there are things greater than us. There are things we can’t change. Our bloodline is cursed, and this kingdom is cursed along with it. But your mother and I made our peace with it long ago. And now, it is your turn.”

Elizabeth clutched the blade in her hand, her fingers trembling. She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of the decision pressing against her chest. “Why can’t it end? Why can’t we break this cycle?”

Her father looked at her, his eyes filled with tenderness, but there was a quiet resolve in his expression. “Because if we don’t do this, the kingdom will fall. And you will fall with it. The lives we take... they keep the balance. They keep the kingdom alive, our lineage strong. It’s the price we pay for the throne.”

He took a long, steadying breath and placed his hand over his heart. “And, Elizabeth… I would do anything for you. I would give my life willingly. If it means you can carry this kingdom into the future, if it means you can carry our family’s legacy, I would do it all again.”

His heart began to race, the weight of his own fate bearing down on him. Elizabeth’s eyes widened as she saw the shift.

“I love you, Elizabeth,” he whispered softly. “And I am proud of you. Always.”

As his heartbeat quickened, Elizabeth’s hand trembled on the blade, the reality of the moment washing over her. She had no choice.

The tiara shimmered in the air, its cold glow casting an eerie light around them. As the first tear fell from Elizabeth’s eye, the blade moved swiftly. Her father’s chest rose with a final breath—proud, accepting, ready for his sacrifice.

The blood that spilled turned into mist, and the tiara moved, floating toward her like it had been waiting for this exact moment. It settled onto her head, a painful weight of destiny.

She held him in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, but in his eyes—there was peace.

And then, just as quickly, the kingdom’s curse was sealed.

...That's all for this chapter:)...

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