Chapter 196: Chapter: 196 Because soon… the empire will be drowned in blood.

Charlotte quickly raised her hand as the eagle landed on her arm.

Its sharp claws gripped her sleeve, and she could feel its body trembling slightly.

She did not waste a second. Her fingers moved fast as she untied the letter tied to the eagle’s leg.

The moment the string came loose, Edward’s aura around the letter flared even stronger, pressing heavily on her chest.

Charlotte opened the letter in haste.

The instant she saw its contents, her eyes widened in shock.

“This…”

The inner side of the letter was soaked in dried blood. It was smeared unevenly, as if written in great pain. Her fingers trembled as she forced herself to read the words.

“Sister, I don’t think I will be alive by the time this reaches you, so I will keep it short. Brother’s illness was not natural. It was forced on him. Ravan Tramplin is the one who did this.”

The words burned into her eyes.

In that moment, it felt as if a thousand bolts of thunder struck her head at once. Her breathing became heavy, and her heart pounded wildly.

“Ravan…”

She whispered the name through clenched teeth. Her hands tightened around the blood-stained letter as she struggled to control the anger rising inside her. The air around her turned cold, and her calm expression slowly cracked.

But she did not stop reading.

“When I learned the truth, I was captured by Kafrik Tramplin. I could have killed him easily, but I was ambushed.”

Charlotte’s fingers tightened around the letter.

“Be careful, Sister. Even if I had not been ambushed, I would still have died. She is someone who has gone beyond Ascended. Her strength is beyond imagination.”

Her breath trembled as she continued.

“I don’t know where she came from, but she defeated me with a single strike. She did not kill me. She said she would enjoy me first. I refused to be humiliated, so you do not need to come. Before you arrive, I will take my own life.”

The words blurred for a moment, but she forced herself to read the rest.

“I don’t know what your goal is in all of this, but I believe you did it for my brother’s sake. Thank you for staying with him in his final moments and giving him happiness.”

The letter ended there.

Charlotte stared at the blood-stained paper in silence. A sharp, unbearable pain shot through her chest, as if her heart had been pierced.

Her hand trembled, and the world around her seemed distant.

To be honest, Charlotte never felt true kinship toward her biological brothers.

They had always schemed against one another. For the throne, they could betray, harm, or even kill without hesitation.

She felt no regret over her brother’s death.

But Edward was different.

They were not bound by blood, yet she had known him since he was a child. He had always called her sister, always respected her, always looked at her with trust.

And now… he was gone.

The pain in her chest only grew heavier.

Two streams of tears rolled down her face as she tried to calm herself.

“Edward…” she murmured softly.

No matter how Vivian had acted in his final years, Edward never lost faith in him. He believed in his brother to the very end. He wanted to help him, to save him.

In the end, Edward vanished from his home.

Everyone thought he had left to live a quiet life, far away from power and conflict.

No one knew that he had gone to uncover the truth behind his brother’s illness.

“Haa…” Charlotte let out a slow sigh. She looked at the letter one last time, then released a small flame. The paper curled and turned to ash in her hand.

“Don’t worry, Edward,” she whispered as she wiped her tears away.

“Your sister will save you too.”

She remained on the palace roof, staring at the endless sky. A deep sense of helplessness wrapped around her heart, heavier than any pain she had felt before.

Time passed in silence.

Soon, dawn arrived.

Charlotte returned to her chamber. She gently picked up her sleeping son, holding him close, and walked toward the room where she had placed her mother and father.

On the way, she saw them standing outside. They looked worn and lifeless as they stared at the pale morning sky.

They did not notice her.

Charlotte said nothing either.

She lifted her hand slightly. In the next moment, both of them fell asleep where they stood.

Carefully, she picked up her parents. With a soft beat of her wings, she rose into the sky, flying toward the Zenithara estate.

The morning wind brushed against her face, but her eyes were cold and firm.

Before noon, she reached the Zenithara estate. Neither her parents nor her son had woken from their deep sleep.

Charlotte descended slowly and stopped in front of the palace gates. The grand structure stood before her, familiar yet painfully distant.

She looked at the palace with quiet remembrance. The last time she had stood here, Vivian was still alive.

This time… he was dead.

She let out another soft sigh and walked inside.

The moment she entered, Vined and his father, Vikel, noticed her presence. They hurried toward her at once.

Elena was with them as well, likely following close behind. Her face looked pale and empty as she stepped out.

When they reached Charlotte, silence fell.

No one spoke.

To be more exact, their eyes were fixed on the people floating in the air beside her.

Charlotte did not speak either.

She snapped her fingers.

In the next moment, her parents and her son slowly woke from their slumber. Her son rubbed his eyes and looked around in confusion. Then he saw his mother.

He walked toward her and tugged at her clothes.

“Mom… where are we?”

The question hung in the air, heavy and fragile, as all eyes remained on Charlotte.

“Charlotte…?” Charlotte’s mother spoke softly, confusion clear on her face.

The last thing she remembered was standing beside her husband and staring at the sky.

Now, she was in a strange place, with Duke Vined and his family staring at them.

She turned to her husband. He looked just as confused, his brows tightly knit.

Charlotte picked up her son and walked toward Elena.

She stopped in front of her and looked at her in silence.

Elena’s eyes trembled. She had heard about the child from her husband, but she had never met him. Seeing him now, her heart shook.

Charlotte smiled gently and said, “His name is Ian. Vivian’s son.”

The trembling in Elena’s eyes grew even stronger as she tried to calm herself. The child looked too much like her son.

It was as if Vivian, at five years old, was standing right in front of her.

Charlotte turned to Ian and said softly, “She is your grandmother. Say hello.”

Ian hesitated for a moment, then spoke shyly, “Hello… My name is Ian D. Zenithara.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Elena could no longer hold herself back. She broke down and began to cry.

Charlotte placed Ian on the ground and gently pushed him forward.

Ian looked unsure as he walked toward Elena. He tugged at her sleeve and said in a small voice,

“Don’t cry, Grandma…”

Vined and Vikel also stepped forward, their eyes trembling as they looked at the child.

“I’m your grandfather,” Vined said softly, placing a gentle hand on Ian’s head.

“And I am your great-grandfather,” Vikel added as he lifted Ian onto his shoulder.

Ian laughed lightly, holding onto him.

Charlotte watched the scene with a faint smile. Then she turned toward her own parents.

They looked back at her, their expressions mixed with many emotions.

At first, they had hated their daughter for killing their son. But as time passed, the sharp pain slowly faded. They began to understand that the fault did not lie with her alone.

They had failed as parents.

They knew that if either of their sons had possessed the same strength as Charlotte, they would have tried to kill just the same. Power without values only bred destruction.

Gray remained silent, but his heart was heavy. He knew the truth. His eldest son had planned to get rid of Charlotte once he ascended the throne. Blaming a child was meaningless. The real mistake was theirs.

If he had not created rivalry between his children…

If he had taught them responsibility instead of competition…

None of this would have happened.

Gray let out a long sigh. He looked at Charlotte and finally spoke.

“Why did you bring us here?”

Charlotte met their gaze and sighed softly.

“I’m sorry, Mom… Dad. I can’t tell you what I’m about to do.”

She paused for a moment, then continued,

“But one thing is certain. When I’m done, everything will return to how it was before.”

She snapped her fingers.

In the next instant, everyone fell into a deep sleep.

Charlotte gently lifted them with magic and flew out of the estate.

She headed toward the far edge of the continent of Elora. The wind rushed past her as she sighed quietly.

“I’m sorry… but I can’t allow you all to stay here any longer.”

She looked into the distant horizon and murmured under her breath,

“Because soon… the empire will be drowned in blood.”

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