"I know you don’t trust royalty. I can see it in the way you look at , in the way you barely even try to hide it anymore. And I know, for a fact, how badly you’ve all been hurt by the previous administration abusing their power and leaving damage behind that can’t just be fixed overnight. Lives were broken, families were torn apart, and nothing was ever done to make it right. I’m not pretending that didn’t happen."
I let the words settle for a second, making sure they actually reached them instead of just bouncing off.
"I know that because the system was so rotten, so of your family mbers grew up believing there was no such thing as a higher authority that would step in to help them. That kind of belief doesn’t co from nowhere. It cos from being ignored again and again until you stop expecting anything at all. I know the taxes you’ve been paying, the money you handed over thinking it would co back to your communities, never actually made it back to you. It got stuck sowhere up there, lining pockets that were already full. And when things got bad, when you needed help the most, the people sitting at the top, the forr administrators, didn’t even bother looking your way. They just... let it happen."
I exhaled slowly, keeping my voice steady.
"I know all of that for a fact. I’m not guessing. And that’s exactly why I’m trying to stop the root of it instead of just putting a bandage over everything and calling it fixed."
"Is this just another one of your propaganda speeches, Princess?"
The response ca almost imdiately, sharp and unimpressed.
"We know what you’re doing. You’re trying to push your agenda using that new device of yours, and yeah, we’ve heard people are starting to lean your way. Word spreads fast. But I’ve got a feeling this is just going to end the sa way it always does. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. It won’t matter in the end. It never does. Things will circle right back to where they were."
He let out a quiet breath, sothing between a scoff and a tired sigh.
"We’re people who’ve already been dragged through the dirt by royalty. You don’t just forget that."
It sounded final. Not loud, not aggressive, just... worn down. Like he’d said those words too many tis before.
No matter how much I tried to convince them, it felt like it wouldn’t change much. Their expressions barely shifted, their stares still heavy with doubt. That was how deep it went. That was how little trust they had left in people like .
Honestly, I couldn’t even argue with that.
I could only bla myself.
I had known about this for a long ti. Longer than I wanted to admit. The signs were there, the stories were there, the quiet resentnt that kept building beneath everything was there. And yet, I didn’t do anything aningful about it.
I knew, but I didn’t act.
I understood, but only on the surface.
And by the ti everything had gotten so bad that it crossed the line into sothing truly irreversible, it was already too late for to just step in and fix it like it was so simple mistake.
"What can you even possibly do?"
The question ca out blunt, but not mocking. Just tired.
"I know this might sound rude, but how exactly are you planning to make this country better? You’ve seen the sa things we have. Do you really think you can fix the cracks that have spread through this entire godforsaken kingdom? Do you actually believe you can make any real difference here?"
The way he said it made it clear he wasn’t expecting a satisfying answer.
I took a deep breath before speaking.
"I do. I believe I can."
Simple. Straight to the point. With no hesitation.
"What makes you so sure?"
"It’s not just belief," I said, keeping my voice steady, even if I could feel the weight of their stares pressing in. "I’m not standing here relying on empty confidence. Right now, there are people who are choosing to support . People who are putting everything they have behind , even knowing how broken things are. That kind of trust isn’t sothing I can just ignore."
I held his gaze.
"So isn’t it only natural that I try to beco soone worthy of that? If people are willing to stand behind , then the least I can do is make sure they’re not wasting that choice."
The man who had been speaking, pushed himself to his feet. Then he stepped closer.
The bars between us clinked softly as he approached.
They were the only thing keeping distance between us. Without them, he could’ve reached out, grabbed by the collar, dragged in, and ended everything right there if he felt like it. He looked more than capable of it too.
Still, he didn’t move to attack.
And I didn’t flinch.
"How are you going to turn this godforsaken kingdom into sothing we can actually respect again?" he asked, his voice lower now, more focused. "How are you going to make us feel any kind of loyalty toward our own motherland after everything that’s happened?"
"If you want to see it for yourselves, then I’ll let you," I answered.
I didn’t look away.
"This doesn’t have to end with your execution. It doesn’t have to end the way things usually do. I believe what you’re doing, everything you’ve risked, cos from wanting to protect this Kingdom in your own way. You wouldn’t be here otherwise. You’ve gone against the law, against the system itself, because you believe it needs to change."
I paused briefly, then continued.
"You’re trying to free your holand. The place you were born in, the place that shaped you. That kind of conviction isn’t sothing I can just dismiss. Because of that, I think you all deserve the chance to see for yourselves whether my rule is actually worth anything."
I looked at each of them, one by one, making sure none of them felt ignored.
"I’m not asking you to give your loyalty to ," I said. "That’s not what I want. What I’m asking is for you to give your loyalty to the Kingdom itself. To the place where you grew up, where you beca who you are now. I’m asking you to protect its honor, and help make it into sothing that’s actually worth believing in again."
The words hung in the air for a mont.
I took a breath, steadying myself before finishing.
"Watch ," I said. "That’s all I’m asking. Watch what I do, watch what changes. And if, after all of that, you decide that I’m not enough, that I’m not fit to lead..."
I held his gaze without wavering.
"Then I’ll offer my head to you."
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