Chapter 299: Chapter 299 : The Declaration From Daddy Dragonheart

Silence pressed down on the throne room once more, thick and heavy.

Then Regina’s voice rang out, calm yet firm. “Mr. Dragonheart, while I do appreciate what you have done for this empire,” she said, looking directly at Alex, “I’m afraid that does not give you the right to choose the next ruler.”

Her gaze swept the court. “That authority belonged only to the king, who is no more. And aside from the king, such decisions are made by the council of nobles.”

She gestured to the gathered lords and ladies. “All these gentlemen and ladies have already chosen Joseph or Lucas, casting their votes accordingly. When Duke Reynard, Arthur Williams, Marquis Starlight, and Augustus Sinclair return from the borders, their votes will determine the final outcome.”

She gave Alex a polite smile. “So you don’t have to worry or involve yourself. The next king will be decided soon.”

For a brief moment, the room seemed to accept her words.

Then Alex laughed.

The sound echoed off the stone walls, sharp and amused. “Are you an idiot, Miss Regina,” he said casually, “or do you think I am one?”

Regina’s lips froze before her next word could form.

“Do you really think,” Alex continued, “in the middle of a war like this, those men will get the chance to come back from the borders? When we’re getting attacked every single day?”

His eyes swept over the nobles. “Why don’t you just say it clearly? You’re all waiting to see how things turn out. If the empire falls, you want to make sure you’re not branded traitors or executed by the enemy. And if things somehow work out—if the war stops and the empire stabilizes—you don’t really care which of your two sons sits on the throne.”

Several nobles shifted uncomfortably. A few avoided his gaze entirely.

Alex went on, voice cutting. “You just want to look like you support your eldest son so people think you’re a dutiful queen. But in reality, it doesn’t matter to you which one of them wins. Either way, you stay what you are—the mother of the king.”

He paused.

“Unless,” Alex added, turning his head slightly toward Charlotte, “Charlotte is the one who sits on that throne.”

Regina’s breath hitched.

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she smoothed her expression over. But it was too late—Alex had already seen it.

He smiled faintly at the tiny crack in her mask.

Then he turned to Lucas. “I’m wrong, am I, Lucas?”

Lucas’s jaw was tight. For a long moment, he said nothing at all.

His silence was an answer in itself.

On the other side of the hall, Serena could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Her rage boiled over. She stepped forward, eyes blazing as she glared at Regina. “You bitch,” she spat. “So you were already planning all that… while my husband is out there defending this nation with his life on the borders.”

Regina turned a cold stare on her. “Watch your mouth, Serena. You are speaking to your queen.”

Serena almost lunged at her, but Alicia grabbed her arm in time, holding her back.

Serena’s voice rose. “Listen well. That throne never belonged to you. It was my father’s. After him, it belonged to me and my brother. And even my children have a legitimate claim to it—they are royalty by blood. But I never wanted them to have it, because I saw how miserable it makes people.”

Her voice cracked slightly. “I saw what it did to my father. To my brother. That’s why I never wanted it. Even now, if I wanted to claim it, you couldn’t stop me.”

Alex’s voice rang across the hall. “Aunt, you still have my full support. You can sit on that throne right now, and I promise—no one here would have the balls to stop you. What do you say?”

All eyes shifted to Serena.

She took a deep breath and shot Alex a glare. “Do you want me to come over there and slap you until you finally understand what I just said?”

Alex held up his hands. “Alright, alright… I was just trying.”

Alex sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Listen, everyone,” he said, looking around with mild exasperation. “Let’s not make this more complicated than it needs to be. I’ll say it plainly so even the densest in the room can understand.”

He faced the nobles directly.

“The empire is in danger. Your homes, your children, your lands—even all that money you hoarded—will vanish if you keep thinking only about your own benefit.”

He shrugged. “So, since you’re bad at it, I’m thinking for you.”

He pointed briefly toward Joseph and Lucas. “If you keep siding with these clowns you call heirs, you’ll get stabbed in the back before you even realize it.”

“Mr. Dragon—! You’re overstepp—”

Regina’s protest turned into a strangled gasp.

Her knees slammed into the marble floor as an invisible pressure crushed the air around her. She coughed violently, a thin trickle of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Alex’s aura pressed down on the hall like a physical weight.

“I wasn’t finished talking,” he said coldly.

Every noble in the chamber swallowed hard, terror creeping through them as they watched the queen herself brought to her knees without a single gesture.

“So,” Alex continued casually, as if nothing had happened, “where were we…? Right. I was saying these jokers can’t be trusted. So we need someone reliable to get us through this mess.”

He turned to Charlotte. She met his gaze, and a small, nervous smile tugged at her lips.

“In fact,” Alex said loudly, “the candidate I have in mind is very reliable. To be honest, I haven’t seen anyone more reliable than this person in my entire life.”

He paced slowly, drawing every eye.

“The kindest person I know. Someone who loves peace and will guide this nation toward a new light.”

He paused at the foot of the throne’s steps.

“The one and only…”

Everyone held their breath.

Charlotte closed her eyes, heart pounding.

Alex grinned.

“Who else could it be but me?”

He spread his arms dramatically. “The one and only Alex Dragonheart.

AKA… Daddy Dragonheart for you guys Ofcourse.”

For a while, no one understood what had just happened.

A full minute passed in stunned silence as minds tried to catch up to his words.

Then, almost as one, the realization hit them.

Mouths fell open. A cold shiver ran down spines as all eyes snapped back to Alex.

He… was nominating himself.

The most shocked person among them was Charlotte. Her eyes went wide. “Eh…?”

Lucas broke the silence first, laughing loudly. “Are you kidding me? Only a member of the royal bloodline can sit on that throne. Don’t you dare dream of it.”

Alex smiled lazily. “So only kings… or war heroes who kill kings… can sit on thrones, right?”

A chill swept through the air.

Killing intent rolled off Alex in an icy wave as he took a step toward Lucas. “So if I kill your brother, you, and your mother… and erase your entire lineage,” he said softly, “and no one strong enough stands against me… then a new bloodline will rule this empire. Right?”

His blue eyes narrowed. “The Dragonhearts.”

Every noble in the room inhaled sharply.

The meaning was simple.

Accept it… or your head will roll.

Lucas instinctively took a step back.

Alex’s smile widened. “Good choice.”

Regina, refusing to give in, shouted desperately to the nobles, “What are you all doing?! There is no need to fear him! Without public support, he is nothing! If he kills all of you, a rebellion will start!”

Her words seemed to kindle a spark. The nobles began whispering among themselves, voices rising.

“He can’t rule without us.”

“We have the people’s support.”

“We won’t let him usurp the throne.”

“If we stand together, he can’t just—”

“Yes, we represent the empire’s foundations. We won’t accept this!”

Gradually, their confidence seemed to return as they rallied behind one another.

Alex watched them, an amused glint in his eyes, and slowly began walking up the steps to the throne.

“So,” he said calmly, “you’re against me, right?”

He turned and faced them from halfway up the stairs. “Everyone who’s against it… raise your hands.”

Almost every noble in the throne room lifted a hand without hesitation—except for the small cluster of nobles behind Charlotte’s faction, who kept their arms firmly at their sides.

For a split second, everything was still.

Then—

SCHLK~

In the blink of an eye, a red arc flashed through the air.

A wet, collective sound filled the hall.

Every noble who had raised a hand screamed as blood sprayed across the marble floor. Their raised arms had been severed cleanly at the elbow or shoulder, falling to the ground in a grotesque rain of flesh and silk.

Cries of agony erupted.

Some clutched their bleeding stumps in horror. Others collapsed, rolling on the floor, faces twisted in pain. A few just stared in shock, eyes glassy, as if their minds struggled to accept what had happened.

The room trembled with their screams.

Only then did they notice the figure now standing just a step beside and slightly behind Alex.

A sword in his hand, its blade dripping with fresh blood.

Alden von Crestvale.

His expression was cold, unreadable, as he rested the blood-soaked blade against his shoulder. “Looks like you got full votes as no one has raised their hand, Your Highness,” he said evenly.

Alex smiled down at him. “Indeed I do… my loyal subject.”

Then, without waiting for permission or approval, Alex turned and sat on the throne.

He did it with a relaxed, almost casual grace—as if the seat had always belonged to him. Silver hair catching the light, one leg crossed over the other, he leaned slightly to one side, resting his elbow on the armrest.

Everyone watched in stunned silence, hearts pounding, unable to believe what had just unfolded before their eyes… and wondering, with a mix of dread and awe, what was going to come next.

———

End of volume 1.

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