Chapter 33: The Emperor's Despair

Prince Izan walked quietly through the grand corridors of the imperial palace, the echo of his footsteps absorbed by the thick carpets beneath him.

The palace was as imposing as it was beautiful, its towering walls adorned with priceless tapestries and paintings that told the history of the empire. But today, none of that mattered to Izan. His mind was elsewhere, on the figure waiting for him in the Emperor's study.

As he approached the heavy double doors, the guards outside straightened to attention, but Izan hardly noticed them. He took a deep breath, trying to steel himself for what he was about to witness.

His father, the Emperor, was not the man he once knew. Ever since the truth about how his mother died had come to light, the Emperor had become a shadow of his former self, haunted by guilt and despair.

Izan pushed open the doors slowly, the creak of the hinges cutting through the silence of the room. The sight that greeted him made his heart ache.