Swallowed My Crown Novels & Stories

It shimmered between worlds, and he could see glimpses of her, of the realm she walked. “She’s still fighting,” he said quietly. The Crown pulsed in his hand. He knew what he had to do. Callen had warned him: once worn, the Crown would mark him permanently. There would be no going back. But she was in there. He had to get her out. With trembling hands, John lifted the Crown. As it settled on his head, fire coursed through his veins. His knees buckled, his vision exploded into red light, and his soul fractured, then he stood in the Hollow, not as a guest, as a challenger.

I said, “then the crown is already rotten.” That did it. Chairs scraped. Voices rose. Anger surfaced

“But I needed them to see *me*. Not your shadow behind me.” His jaw clenched. “You think I’m your shadow?” “No,” I whispered. “I think you’re my anchor. And anchors drown queens.” His silence was worse than any scream. I walked away. Not because I wanted to, but because I had no other choice. The war crown was mine now. And it was made of barbed wire.

And then, finally, Kai reached out and placed the crown on my head. The crown was a work of art. It was a golden metal that seemed almost liquid in its flexibility, adorned with gems that shone like stars. It fit perfectly as if molded to my head. After some seconds, the room erupted into applause and cheers. Whether their excitement was genuine or not, it was not my business. There was another feast of food, and I wondered how these people were able to stomach so much food, because I couldn't bring myself to eat anything. “A toast to my wife,” Kai announced. “She makes me feel complete.”

Then something glinted at the foot of my bed. I sat up. There, resting upon the quilt, was something gold and jewels. Cracked straight through. My crown. My breath broke. I reached out, fingertips trembling. “Father,” I whispered. “How did this follow me here?” The room swallowed my voice. But the crown remained.

the voice spoke, mournful. "Why?" it asked. "No. It was for you," that was my answer. I didn’t know what it was. Maybe one day I would. I squinted. A flood of light poured in, blinding me. Before I lost my sight— I swiftly retrieved the crown on my head. A quick glimpse. My heart lurched. It was a crown— a black one. "Magnificent," I whispered, as my blood boiled in that second. Then everything went white. I and the crown vanished into it.

"Your Highness, are you really going to secretly take blood from Miss Jerryton's heart and treat Miss Mullery with it?" The elderly imperial physician's hand that held the dagger trembled. The candlelight reflected the cold sweat on his forehead. Arrisa Jerryton lay on the bed. Her thin body sank into the luxurious quilt, and her face was as white as the first snow of winter. Louis Xavier spoke in a tone colder than the snow outside the palace. "Yes. I already fed her anesthetic powder. She is in a coma and will not wake up. Hurry up."

“You were right there! You could have done something!” “In that room, I don’t get to be a man. I am the crown, and the crown moves slowly, because every word carries weight.” She swallowed heavily before she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “So why don’t you be a man now?”

Ashina sobbed, both hands locked over Maelor as if the moon might reach inside her and lift the child by name. Conri stepped forward until the barrier burned his boots, his face carved from horror and restraint. Bardolph went still. The poisoned bond between us turned blacker, pulsing once, twice, then pulling the crown’s whisper into my skull. I shook my head before the name fully formed, because some part of me already understood what the crown wanted. No. Not him. Not after every lie. Not after every wound. Not because I loved him. Not because I hated him. Not because the crown wanted one more broken bond to pay for power.

"Six months ago, you added the contacts of three used car dealers. Old Toyota Crowns, old Mercedes Benzes, and old Lexuses—you were asking about all kinds of cars from the '90s. But the one you cared about most was the Toyota Crown. "You thought no one would know. But what you didn't know is that I knew all three of those dealers. Because the Toyota Crown you were asking about was mine. So this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea." My tone remained steady. "You didn't just wake up one day and decide to use the Toyota Crown as your bridal car. You've been plotting to get this car for half a year. The wedding was nothing but a cover. What you wanted wasn't a bridal car. What you needed was the ca