Chapter 114 The abdication
Carlino’s POV
Power doesn’t slip.
It’s taken.
Or… it’s given away.
Tonight, I will do the latter.
\~~~
The hall is already filled by the time I step in.
They stand when I enter. Not out of respect. Not entirely. It’s instinct. Conditioned. The weight of my name still presses on their spines even now—seconds before I strip it of everything it means.
Council members lined in the front. Old blood. Calculated eyes. Men who’ve seen kings rise and fall and still believe they sit above it all.
Behind them—underbosses. Capos. Territory heads. Enforcers. The real spine of the empire.
Further behind, shadows. Hitmen leaders. Financial minds. Representatives of allied families. Every piece that makes this machine breathe.
Every piece that can turn if handled wrong.
Niel stands to my right. Silent. Still. Watching. He’s already learned a lot.
I don’t rush.
I take my time walking to the center. Let the silence stretch. Let it settle into their bones. Let them feel it—something shifting before I even speak.
Then I stopped. My gaze sweeps across the room once. Slow. Deliberate.
No one speaks.
No one dares.
“Sit.”
They obey. Chairs scrape against the floor in near-perfect unison.
Control still belonged to me. For now at least. I clasp my hands behind my back, posture relaxed, voice steady when I finally speak.
“Kailen is dead.”
No build-up. No theatrics. Just the truth.
The reaction is immediate, even if they try to hide it. A ripple. Subtle shifts. A breath caught here. A glance exchanged there.
“The war has ended. I ended it myself,” I add, my tone flat. “There will be no retaliation. No remnants. His line is finished.”
Kenji leans forward slightly. “Proof?”
My eyes land on him.
Silence drops like a blade.
“You doubt my word?” I ask quietly.
He stiffens. “No, Don.”
“Then don’t insult me with questions that don’t need asking.”
He leans back immediately. The room stills again.
Let them remember who I am before I take it away.
I shift slightly, rolling my shoulders once before continuing. “That war,” I say, “was the last one tied to my bloodline.”
That gets attention.
Real attention.
Eyes sharpen now. Focused. Alert. Something is coming. They feel it.
As expected, they do. They’ve survived this long by reading between the lines.
“Effective immediately,” I continue, “Lina is no longer connected to the throne.”
A murmur tries to rise. But dies before it fully forms. Because I let my gaze sweep the room again.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
“She is not to be tracked. Not to be followed. Not to be used as leverage under any circumstance.” My voice doesn’t rise. It doesn’t need to. “Anyone who violates that—dies.”
There was no hesitation. No room for interpretation.
A capo shifts in his seat. “Don… if she carries—”
I cut him off with a look.
“That is not your concern, Hillary.”
He swallows whatever he was about to say.
Smart move. Because I didn't plan on repeating myself. My jaw tightens slightly before I continue. “My children,” I said, slower, letting each word settle, “will not be part of this world.”
The room started reacting. Not loudly. Not openly. But it’s there. The tension spikes. The confusion. The disbelief.
Because now… they understand.
Or at least, they think they do.
“You’re stepping down?” one of the underbosses asks carefully.
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I turn slightly. My gaze flicks to Niel for half a second before returning to the room.
“Yes.”
The word lands heavy. Final. A stillness follows that feels… different. Not controlled. Not mine. Uncertain.
Dangerous.
Let them feel it.
Because what comes next will either stabilize this empire… or fracture it beyond repair.
I step forward once. “Tonight,” I say, voice calm, precise, “I invoke an ancient law.”
Now they’re listening.
Really listening.
Because there aren’t many laws older than the blood this empire was built on. And the few that exist… are absolute.
“Abdication by a reigning king,” I continue, “recognized by the families… dissolves all future claims of succession tied to his bloodline.”
The words echo with finality.
A councilman stands abruptly. “That law hasn’t been used in generations.”
“Doesn’t make it invalid,” I replied without looking at him.
Another voice cuts in. “If you do this—your line ends.”
“I’m aware.”
“You erase your heirs.”
“I know exactly what I’m doing.” My tone sharpens just enough to cut through the rising tension.
Silence snaps back into place.
I let it sit for a second before finishing.
“No heirs. No claims. No reason to hunt them.”
Now they understand.
Fully.
This isn't weakness neither is it surrender. This is strategy.
And I could see it, it terrified them more than any show of force ever could. Because a man who gives up power willingly…
He is far more dangerous than one who fights to keep it. I turn slightly, pacing once before stopping again.
“The empire will not collapse,” I say. “It will stabilize.” A pause. “I will not be its king.”
The words felt… strange. Not wrong. Just unfamiliar.
A council elder narrows his eyes. “And who takes your place?”
Now, that matters. Because this is where things either hold…
Or burn.
I glance at Niel again. This time, longer.
He didn't move. Didn’t react. But I see it—the tension beneath the surface. The understanding that settled in.
Perhaps he’s ready.
“As per law,” I say, turning back to the room, “the reigning king chooses his successor when invoking abdication.”
A beat.
“My decision stands. It is not contested.”
No arguments. No votes. No power plays. That’s the beauty of ancient law. Even the council can’t touch it.
I step aside slightly.
“Niel.”
For the first time tonight, he moves. Stepping forward. Every inch of him is already carrying the weight of what’s coming.
The room watches him now.
Judging.
Calculating.
“This empire,” I say, my voice cutting clean through the silence, “now answers to him.”
The reaction is sharper this time. More visible. Because Niel—
He’s not blood.
Not legacy.
Not tradition.
He’s something else entirely.
Earned.
Built.
Dangerous in a way they can’t predict.
A capo leans forward, unable to hold back. “He’s not—”
“Finish that sentence, and I'll have your tongue ripped out,” I said quietly.
He turned his head nervously, waiting for anyone to say something. But they all kept quiet. Because even now—right now—I’m still the most dangerous man in this room.
And everyone knows it.
I let the silence stretch before speaking again.
“He is capable,” I say. “He is loyal. And most importantly—he is not tied to my bloodline.”
That last part settles everything. Because that’s the point. No ties. No leverage. No future wars born from my name.
Clean.
Final.
A council elder exhales slowly. “If the law is invoked… and recognized…”
“It is,” I cut in.
A pause.
Then he nods once.
“…then it stands.”
One by one, the others follow.
Reluctant.
But bound.
Because this isn’t about agreement. It’s about law. And law… is what keeps monsters from tearing each other apart. Even here.
I nod once. “Good.”
Then I shifted. Because there’s one more thing. The most important one.
“My father,” I say. The room tightens again. Naturally. They weren’t expecting that.
“He murdered the former queen.”
The weight of the truth dropped like a hammer.
A council member straightens. “That accusation—”
“Is proven.” My voice doesn’t rise but it hardens.
“Evidence has been reviewed. Confirmed. Cross-checked.” I take a step forward. “The law applies to everyone.”
A pause.
“No exceptions.”
Even now… especially now. Because if I walk away leaving that undone—
Then everything I’m doing here means nothing. A slow breath fills my lungs.
Then leaves.
“Sentence was passed this afternoon.”
“Execution carried out at dusk.”
That… lands, with finality. Because they understand what that means. I didn’t just strip myself of power. I destroyed the man who gave it to me. For the law. For balance. For the future I’m carving out of this mess.
No one speaks. Not for a long moment.
Then finally—
“…It is done,” one of the elders says quietly.
I nod once. “It is.”
And just like that—
It’s over.
I step back.
Not as their king. Not anymore. Just… a man. Strange. Unfamiliar. But not weak. Never that. I glance at Niel one last time.
He meets my eyes. No words spoken. None needed.
I turned and got walked away. No one stops me. No one calls out. Because they know, there’s nothing left to say. The murmurs rippled the hall as I stepped out.
The doors close behind me with a quiet finality. The air outside feels… different. Lighter. Or maybe that’s just me. For the first time in years… I’m not carrying an empire on my shoulders.
Just the consequences of it.
I exhale slowly, rolling my neck once. It’s done. I smiled, for the first time in years, I actually smiled. No heirs. No claims. No reason to hunt them.
She’s free. Our child… safe. That’s all that matters. A faint sound behind me.
Footsteps.
I didn’t turn.
“Don—”
“Not anymore,” I cut in.
Niel stops.
A pause.
“…Carlino.”
I almost smirk. Almost. “What is it?” I ask.
“The council… they’ll test me.”
“Of course they will.”
“That doesn’t concern you?”
I turned slowly. My gaze locks onto his. Cold. Steady. “If they break you,” I say, “then you were never meant to sit there.”
A beat.
“They won’t,” he replies.
I nod once. “Then handle it.”
Silence stretches for a second.
Then he speaks again.
“You gave up everything.”
I hold his gaze. “No,” I say quietly.
“I got rid of what would’ve destroyed them.”
That’s the difference. That’s what he needs to understand. Power isn’t always about holding on. Sometimes… It’s about knowing exactly what to let burn.
I turned away again. This time, I don't stop. Because there’s nothing left for me there. No throne. No crown. No war tied to my name. Just… a path forward.
Unknown. Unforgiving. But mine. And somewhere out there—
She’s breathing easier.
That’s enough, knowing she wouldn't have a threat.