The empire did not wait.
By the time the sun rose, the world already knew.
Imperial proclamations were nailed to every gate, every trade post, every ruined village still standing.
I saw one when a scout brought it into the Ashlands.
My name was written in black.
KAEL VIREMONT – TRAITOR TO THE THRONE.LEADER OF THE REBELLION.ALIVE OR DEAD.
Beneath it, a new title burned like a curse.
THE REBEL KING.
Lira read it aloud.
"They've made you a symbol," she said quietly.
I folded the paper.
"They always were going to."
But the rest of the report was worse.
"Imperial legions are moving west," the scout continued. "Three cities already burned for sheltering fugitives. Anyone suspected of helping you… executed."
Seraphine went still beside me.
"…Burned?" she asked.
"Yes, General," the scout said.
Her hands clenched.
This was not pursuit.
This was punishment.
They were sending a message to the world.
Help him, and you die.
I closed my eyes.
This is what my rebellion costs.
Lives.
Homes.
Blood.
I had known it.
But knowing it and seeing it…
were different things.
"They're trying to turn the people against you," Lira said. "By making you the reason their world burns."
I opened my eyes.
"Then I make sure it burns for something."
A soldier rushed into the chamber.
"Your Highness—" He stopped, correcting himself. "…Kael. There's another message."
He handed me a second scroll.
Imperial seal.
Seraphine stepped closer.
I broke it open.
Read.
Once.
Then my grip tightened.
Seraphine searched my face.
"What is it?"
"They've charged you with treason," I said. "Formally. Publicly. You are stripped of your house, your name, your bloodline."
I exhaled.
"And anyone who aided me is now guilty by association."
She went pale.
"…Anyone?"
"Yes."
I met her eyes.
"That includes you."
Silence fell.
The weight of it settled into the stone walls.
Seraphine Nightvale.
General.
Heir.
Condemned.
"They've declared your house an enemy of the state," I said quietly. "Your lands will be seized. Your banners burned. Your family…"
She looked away.
For the first time since I had known her…
Her composure cracked.
"They were already losing favor," she whispered. "But this… this is execution in everything but name."
I stepped closer.
"Seraphine…"
She turned back to me.
Her eyes were bright.
Not with fear.
With grief.
"I knew what I was choosing," she said. "But I didn't think… they would erase my people."
Something twisted in my chest.
"They're doing this because of me."
She shook her head.
"No," she said. "They're doing it because they were always this cruel."
She took a breath.
"But it still hurts."
I reached for her.
She didn't pull away.
Her voice was quiet.
"I gave up everything," she said. "My title. My future. My family's protection."
Her gaze lifted to mine.
"And I would do it again."
My throat tightened.
"But if this rebellion fails…" she continued, "…then all I've lost will be for nothing."
I placed my hands on her shoulders.
"It won't be."
"How do you know?" she asked softly.
I leaned closer.
"Because I will not let the world that tried to take you… keep you."
Her breath caught.
"I don't need a crown," I said. "I don't need a throne. But I will build a future where they cannot decide who is allowed to exist."
Her eyes searched mine.
"And if that future costs your life?" she asked.
I didn't look away.
"Then I spend it gladly."
Her hands trembled as they rose to grip my sleeves.
"Don't say that," she whispered. "I didn't choose you just to watch you die."
I lowered my forehead to hers.
"I chose you because in every life… you are the one thing I cannot lose."
The world seemed to fall away.
No war.
No empire.
Just us.
"I don't know what tomorrow brings," I said. "I don't know how many battles are left."
She swallowed.
"But I know this," I said. "I love you. Not as a prince. Not as a symbol. As the man who will walk into hell if it means you're still standing when the fire dies."
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
Then her voice came, barely more than breath.
"I have walked through blood and command my entire life," she said. "I was never afraid of death."
She met my eyes.
"But losing you… terrifies me."
I pulled her into me.
She didn't resist.
She held on.
Tight.
Like she was afraid the world might tear us apart if she let go.
Outside the chamber, the Ashlands waited.
The empire was marching.
The rebellion was only beginning.
But in that moment…
We were no longer just leader and general.
We were two people who had lost everything…
…except each other.
And that made us more dangerous than any army.
Because the empire had named me the Rebel King.
But tonight…
I had found something far more powerful than a crown.
A reason to never surrender.