The Last Princess

"I pronounce you Empress Avaline I, the first of the Greenton Kingdom," the priest declared, his voice echoing through the grand hall as he placed the heavy crown upon the head of the 15th Princess.

The crowd erupted into cheers and greetings, celebrating the start of her solo reign. The weight of the crown felt different now-it wasn't a symbol of a forced marriage, but a tool for her final plan.

"Queen Avaline," the priest asked, leaning in with a respectful bow, "what are your first words to your subjects as their sovereign?"

Avaline stood tall, her gaze cold and unwavering as she looked out over the nobles and commoners alike.

"I will never have a Emperor," she announced, her voice ringing with absolute authority.

The hall fell into a stunned, deathly silence. The ministers looked at one another in a panic, their whispers rising like a swarm of bees.

"Yes..." Avaline thought to herself as she gripped the arms of the throne. "I have seen my brother and sisters die for this. I never truly wanted this throne... but I needed it to end our evil blood once and for all."

"Y-Your Majesty-" one of the ministers stammered, stepping forward. "Surely you mean to find a consort? To secure the future of the Bellohullim line?"

Avaline narrowed her eyes, the red of her gaze flashing like a warning.

"This empire doesn't need a King anymore," she stated firmly, silencing the room. "I am the last ruler of this empire. When I am gone, the bloodline of Bellohullim dies with me."

She sat back on her throne, the lone survivor of a ruined life, ready to rule the kingdom with the justice that Clarence and her mother never received.