His Bride, Her Revenge-Chapter 96: The First Queen’s Judgement

The throne room was silently haunted by the presence of a ghost.

Not the specter of death, but of legacy.

Seraphine Vale stood tall amidst the ruins, the light of the Crown’s old power flickering around her like a living flame. Her armor shimmered with the ethereal glow of memory and might, a fusion of celestial metals and forgotten technology. Her eyes, those cold violet mirrors, surveyed the wreckage, the broken pillars, and the bleeding Queen who stood to challenge her.

Cambria’s breath hitched. Her sword trembled slightly in her hand. Not from fear, but from something deeper.

Reverence. And defiance.

"You’re supposed to be dead," she said, voice strained but unwavering.

Seraphine’s lips curled into a faint smile. "That’s the thing about death, child. For some of us, it’s merely an intermission."

Behind Cambria, Lucien was pale, shaking. "We entombed you. I saw your body encased in the vault, frozen in stasis with a lock that even I couldn’t break."

"You entombed a shadow," Seraphine said coolly. "A decoy. My real body never slept. It waited. It evolved. Just as I designed it to."

Evelyn’s voice trembled. "But why return now?"

Seraphine turned her gaze toward her descendant. "Because the Crown has failed."

Cambria stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

"The balance I built," Seraphine said, her voice suddenly hardening. "The system I created to hold chaos in check, to regulate the weapons of war, to elevate the strongest minds and preserve order has been corrupted. Rewritten by greed, ambition, and sentimentality."

Her eyes settled on Cambria with unnerving stillness.

"You are the final proof."

Cambria’s jaw clenched. "I’m not your failure."

"You are my mistake," Seraphine replied sharply. "You defied the doctrine. You let feelings govern your reign. Love. Hope. Mercy. You spared your enemies. You chose humanity when you were designed to surpass it."

Cambria raised her head. "Then maybe it’s time someone broke your system."

For a moment, Seraphine looked amused.

Then she raised her hand.

Subject Zero rose in tandem.

"Subject Zero," Seraphine commanded, "prepare the trial chamber."

The weapon shimmered out of sight teleporting with an electric pulse.

Cambria narrowed her eyes. "Trial chamber?"

"You are the Queen. But the Crown does not belong to sentiment. It belongs to order," Seraphine said. "And now, Queen of Blackwood, you will be judged."

The floor beneath Cambria’s feet began to glow arcane sigils burning through the broken marble. A shimmering circle surrounded her, and the air thickened like liquid.

Lucien lunged forward. "No! She’s not ready !"

Seraphine didn’t even blink. With a flick of her fingers, Lucien was thrown across the room into a pillar. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Don’t interfere, old man."

Evelyn grabbed Cambria’s hand. "You don’t have to do this "

But Cambria stepped away.

Her back straightened. Her bloodied face hardened into steel.

"I do," she whispered.

The light consumed her.

And she vanished. frёeωebɳovel.com

Cambria landed on a platform suspended in what looked like an endless void.

Stars above. Stars below.

No sound. No walls. Just an expanse of light and shadow.

In front of her stood a throne of living crystal and upon it, Seraphine sat, her expression unreadable.

Surrounding them, projections flickered into place echoes of the past.

The faces of fallen kings, betrayed generals, assassinated lovers... all part of Cambria’s journey.

And all watching.

"Trial for Queen Cambria Vale," Seraphine declared. "Charges: Dereliction of duty. Emotional compromise. Failure to execute threats. Collaboration with known traitors."

A holographic voice echoed: > "Proceed with the defense."

Cambria stepped forward, breathing steadily.

"I am guilty," she said.

The chamber stirred.

"But not of weakness. Not of failure. I am guilty of trying to refuse to become a machine. Of seeing my people as more than statistics. Of choosing mercy where you would’ve chosen war."

Seraphine tilted her head. "And what has mercy earned you? Betrayal? Blood? A kingdom in ruin?"

"Yes," Cambria replied. "But it also earned me loyalty. Hope. Love. And those things, those human things are what made me strong enough to survive everything you designed to break me."

The stars around them flickered. A test of truth.

Seraphine stood.

"In that case, let the final judgment be made."

She raised her hand and from the darkness behind the stars, another figure descended.

Cambria blinked.

It was... her.

Or rather, a version of her.

Clad in gold armor. Eyes glowing silver. Cold. Perfect.

"The ideal Queen," Seraphine said. "Built from your data. No heart. No pain. No weakness."

Subject Alpha.

Cambria’s perfected clone.

"Defeat her," Seraphine said, "or surrender your legacy."

The Battle of the Queens

Alpha struck first.

Cambria barely deflected the blade silver clashing against silver.

Alpha moved like lightning. Calculating. Predicting every move Cambria made. Every dodge she attempted was countered. Every strike is anticipated.

It was like fighting herself.

But stripped of soul.

Cambria bled cuts to her arms, her side. Still, she stood.

"Why fight?" Alpha asked coldly. "You know I am the better version."

Cambria’s lip curled. "You’re not better. You’re hollow."

She caught Alpha’s blade, redirected it, and slammed her elbow into the clown’s face. Sparks flew. Alpha staggered.

Cambria’s eyes burned with rage and light.

"You don’t know pain. You don’t know love. You’re a copy in a mirror. I’m the fire it reflects."

She struck again harder this time. Pushed Alpha back.

But Alpha recalibrated, recovering, evolving.

And then... something shifted.

Alpha began using her memories.

Visions of Maddox.

Of Knox.

Of her mother’s death.

Weaponized against her.

"I am you," Alpha whispered, voice soft like a nightmare. "And I’ve decided this world is not worth saving."

Seraphine stood over Lucien’s unconscious body.

Evelyn stared at her. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because the world cannot survive another sentimental queen."

"And what if she wins?"

"She won’t," Seraphine said. "I know her. I made her."

Cambria dropped to one knee.

Alpha stood above her, blade aimed for the kill.

"I’ll end this now," the clone said.

But Cambria looked up.

And smiled.

"No. You won’t."

A pulse of violet light erupted from her chest.

Not from rage.

Not from anger.

But from a memory.

Maddox’s voice. Evelyn’s tearful smile. Even Knox’s bitter laugh.

Love.

Legacy.

Loss.

The three things Seraphine had feared most.

Cambria rose.

Caught the blade with bare hands and shattered it with her will.

Alpha’s eyes widened. "That’s not possible "

Cambria grabbed her by the throat.

"I may not be perfect," she said. "But I am real."

With one final cry, she launched Alpha into the void.

The stars screamed.

The projections shattered.

And Seraphine... staggered.

She fell to one knee light pouring from her armor.

"No..." she whispered.

Cambria reappeared on the throne room floor, coughing, bloodied but victorious.

The others stared in awe.

Evelyn ran to her side. "You did it you beat her "

But Seraphine wasn’t done.

She rose again.

Eyes burning brighter than ever.

And behind her Subject Zero returned.

But this time... flanked by hundreds of glowing figures.

Weapons.

Perfected.

Awakened.

"They have judged," Seraphine said, voice echoing with finality. "And they chose me."

She raised her hand.

And the walls of Blackwood crumbled as a fleet of Pandora weapons descended from the sky.

All bearing the sigil of the First Queen.

Cambria stood tall as the wind howled through the shattered windows.

Behind her, Evelyn grabbed Lucien’s unconscious form. Maddox stood with a bleeding blade. The kingdom burned around them.

And Seraphine’s voice rang like a death knell:

"This is no longer your reign, Cambria Vale.

It’s your reckoning."