The Weight Of A Crown

The room fell silent after Ares explained Queen Iris's proposal.

For several moments, neither Resu nor Shashaya spoke.

Ares waited patiently.

"I know this is sudden," he said softly. "That is why I came myself. Nothing will happen without your agreement."

Resu slowly lifted her head.

Her eyes were hollow, as though years of grief had drained the life from them.

"Will our agreement even matter?" she asked quietly.

Ares frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Resu looked directly at him.

"First our father died."

The room grew tense.

"Then your father became king."

Ares remained silent.

"And now our brothers are gone."

Her voice trembled.

"Loid is dead. Ryuk is missing."

A painful silence followed.

Then she spoke the words that struck deeper than any blade.

"And you took the throne."

Ares stared at her.

The accusation left him speechless.

Before he could respond, Shashaya suddenly laughed.

"Hahaha..."

It wasn't the laughter of joy.

It was the laughter of someone standing at the edge of breaking.

She rose from her seat.

"Our father is dead."

Her voice shook.

"Our brothers are gone."

Tears filled her eyes.

"Our family is shattered."

She pointed toward Ares.

"And what happened to you and Lila?"

Ares felt his chest tighten.

"You became king."

"Lila became empress."

Her voice rose.

"You hold celebrations."

"You host grand balls."

"You conquer kingdoms."

"You become heroes."

Then her expression twisted with pain.

"And now you want to send us away too?"

Ares took a step forward.

"No."

"Then why are you here?" she shouted.

"To find husbands for us?"

"To marry us off?"

"To get rid of the last remnants of our family?"

The words echoed through the chamber.

Ares opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Because for the first time in years, he did not know what to say.

He knew they were wrong.

But he could also see the truth hidden beneath their accusations.

They were not speaking from hatred.

They were speaking from grief.

From loneliness.

From wounds that had never healed.

"I never wanted any of this," he finally said.

His voice was barely above a whisper.

Neither girl responded.

"I never wanted the throne."

Silence.

"I would trade every crown I own if it meant bringing Loid back."

The room froze.

"And if I could bring Ryuk home tonight..."

His voice cracked.

"...I would."

For a brief moment, uncertainty appeared on Shashaya's face.

Then—

SLAP!

The sound echoed through the chamber.

Shashaya stumbled backward.

A bright red mark appeared on her cheek.

Everyone turned toward Queen Iris.

Her face was pale with fury.

"Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

Nobody answered.

"Do you?"

Her voice thundered through the room.

"You speak as though Ares stole something from you."

She pointed toward him.

"Look at him."

The room remained silent.

"He saved us."

"He saved this kingdom."

"He saved our family's honor."

Tears gathered in her eyes.

"Even now he continues searching for Ryuk."

Queen Iris stepped forward.

"Do you think he sleeps peacefully?"

"Do you think he enjoys carrying the weight of two kingdoms?"

"Do you think he enjoys sitting on a throne built upon graves?"

Neither Resu nor Shashaya could answer.

"He lost his father."

"He lost his brothers."

"He lost his childhood."

Her voice shook.

"And yet he never complained."

"He did what no one else could do."

"He carried burdens that should have broken him."

Then she looked directly at them.

"And still you dare accuse him?"

The chamber fell silent.

Ares lowered his gaze.

He hated hearing those words.

Not because they were false.

But because they made him sound stronger than he truly was.

Inside, he was exhausted.

"No," Ares said quietly.

Everyone turned toward him.

"They don't owe me an apology."

Queen Iris looked surprised.

Ares managed a tired smile.

"They're hurting."

His eyes moved toward Resu and Shashaya.

"I understand."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Ares took a deep breath.

"I just hope one day you understand too."

His smile faded.

"Not because I need gratitude."

A shadow crossed his face.

"But because I never wanted to become your enemy."

Without another word, he turned around and left.

No anger.

No resentment.

Only sadness.

No one stopped him.

No one followed him.

The palace corridors stretched endlessly before him.

Servants bowed as he passed.

Knights saluted.

Nobles lowered their heads.

Yet none of it mattered.

The titles.

The power.

The respect.

All of it felt meaningless.

His feet carried him beyond the palace gates.

Beyond the gardens.

Beyond the city itself.

Toward a place he had not visited in years.

The abandoned castle.

The forgotten ruin where so many of his childhood memories had been born.

The place where he had first seen the dragon.

Night had already fallen when he arrived.

Silver moonlight washed over the ancient stones.

The castle stood exactly as it always had.

Silent.

Lonely.

Waiting.

Ares walked through the broken halls.

Every corner carried a memory.

Lila and Zach crossing wooden swords.

Resu and Shashaya arguing over something meaningless.

Loid and Ryuk laughing together.

A time when crowns meant nothing.

A time before war.

Before death.

Before grief.

A time when they were simply children.

The memories hurt.

Yet they comforted him all the same.

Eventually, he reached the great chamber.

The chamber where he had once found a sleeping dragon hidden among darkness and bones.

Ten years had passed.

Yet nothing seemed different.

The same pillars.

The same shadows.

The same silence.

Ares stared at the empty place where the dragon had once rested.

Then he slowly lowered himself to the ground.

His shoulders trembled.

For years he had endured everything.

For years he had remained strong.

For years he had carried responsibilities that were never meant for someone so young.

But that night...

Something finally broke.

Tears streamed down his face.

"Why?" he whispered.

The question echoed through the darkness.

A plea directed at no one.

"I never wanted any of this."

His voice cracked.

"I never wanted the throne."

Only silence answered.

"I never wanted them to die."

His breathing grew uneven.

"I tried."

The words escaped him like a confession.

"I really tried."

His hands clenched.

"I searched for Ryuk."

"I rebuilt the kingdom."

"I protected everyone."

His voice broke completely.

"So why does it feel like I failed them all?"

The darkness remained silent.

The king who ruled nations.

The conqueror praised by nobles.

The man feared by enemies.

Sat alone in an abandoned castle and cried like a lost child.

Minutes passed.

Or perhaps hours.

Even Ares no longer knew.

Then suddenly—

A sound echoed through the chamber.

Deep.

Ancient.

Familiar.

Ares froze.

His breathing stopped.

His eyes widened.

Because he knew that sound.

Even after ten years.

Even after countless battles.

Even after all the suffering he had endured.

He remembered it.

The same sound that had haunted his memories since he was twelve years old.

Slowly...

Very slowly...

Ares lifted his head.

The sound had come from the darkness.

From the exact place where the dragon had once slept.

And for the first time in ten years—

The darkness moved.

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