Page 185 of Crowned In Venom

A force slams into my chest, sending me hurtling backwards. My body crashes against the cold marble floor, ribs snapping under the pressure. Pain sears through my body, sharp and suffocating.

"Pathetic," she purrs. "Look at you. You could have had everything. You could have been a god under my rule."

I cough blood onto the polished floor, gripping my sword tighter.

She watches me with amusement, her form a dark silhouette against the throne’s infernal glow.

"You were never meant to be free."

I push myself up, shaking. The pain doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except ending her.

"You are not my mother," I snarl.

For the first time, her face twists.

And then—she laughs.

A sharp, chilling sound, like blades scraping over bone.

"Of course not, little one," she whispers, stepping closer.

The shadows curl around her feet, slithering like hungry creatures.

"Did you think I loved you?" she taunts. "Did you think you were special?"

Her eyes glint with cruelty.

"You were a stolen thing. A tool."

The room spins. My breath locks in my throat.

"Your mother?" she continues, her lips curling into something twisted. "I killed her."

I freeze.

"Your father?" Her voice drips with satisfaction. "I let him live long enough to watch me erase you. I carved you out of his memory, just like I carved him into nothing."

The air rips from my lungs.

No.

"He let me," she breathes, stepping even closer. "Because he thought it would keep you safe. But you were never safe, were you? Not from me."

The rage inside me burns hot enough to melt bone.

I lunge.

Magic slams into me like a tidal wave.

I hit the ground again, hard. My vision flickers. My body refuses to move.

I have never felt this weak.

The poison inside her should have been working. It should have been enough.

But she has taken more power.

She tilts her head, mocking me.

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