Chapter 2 - The Empty Cambers
And with it came immeasurable sorrow.
Antonius never forgot the day the royal palace descended into chaos.
It was the day his brother was born.
A day that should have been celebrated.
Instead, from the moment the newborn's first cry echoed through the palace, fear and confusion spread like wildfire.
His nursemaid screamed.
One of the maids fainted.
The physicians stumbled from the birthing chamber white-faced and trembling, unable to form coherent words.
And the moment King Alexios laid eyes on the infant brought from the room, he erupted.
“What is this?!”
His roar echoed through the stone corridors.
“What is this? Explain yourselves!”
Nothing remained of the dignified monarch Antonius had always known.
His face was crimson with rage, spittle flying as he shouted.
Watching his father lose control so completely filled nine-year-old Antonius with disgust.
A ruler should never conduct himself in such a manner.
The Queen was placed under house arrest.
Before she had even recovered from childbirth.
Antonius stepped forward without hesitation.
“If the Queen is to be accused of infidelity, evidence should be presented first.”
The room fell silent.
Antonius continued.
“To condemn someone without a trial is a violation of the law.”
Imresia was a nation governed by law.
It was not a kingdom where people could be judged solely according to the King's emotions.
Least of all the Queen.
If there were grounds to suspect her of adultery, then a trial should be held.
That was the proper course.
It was a perfectly reasonable argument.
Yet no one answered him.
Not the King.
Not the ministers.
Eventually, someone spoke.
“Your Highness, please return to your chambers.”
“Why? This discussion is not over.”
No one argued.
No one offered an explanation.
No one even attempted to answer his questions.
He was dismissed for one reason only.
He was a child.
And in that moment, Antonius understood.
Until now, he had been protected.
The adults had never truly treated him as an equal.
They listened because he was the Crown Prince.
They praised him for being clever.
They humored him.
But when something truly important happened, a nine-year-old boy ceased to matter.
He possessed no real power.
He could change nothing.
A dark despair settled deep within his chest.
Three days later, Antonius rushed to the Queen's chambers.
By then, it was already over.
The furniture had been removed.
The vanity.
The embroidery frame.
The books she loved to read.
Even the jeweled box she treasured.
Everything was gone.
Not a single trace remained.
Nothing to suggest that his mother had ever lived there at all.
As though she had never existed.
“......!”
His throat tightened.
His vision blurred.
He sank to his knees.
It was the first time in his life that he had cried from helplessness.
The tears would not stop.
He had done nothing.
Changed nothing.
The shame of it was unbearable.
“Your Highness.”
A quiet voice broke the silence.
Antonius looked up.
A young attendant stood in the doorway.
He was a recent addition to the household staff, assigned to serve the Crown Prince only a few months earlier.
Theodoros Megara.
Ten years older than Antonius.
He said nothing.
No words of comfort.
No encouragement.
He simply stood beside him.
That was all.
Yet somehow, in that silent companionship, Antonius found the first comfort he had known in days.
