A Sparrow Stole My Place as Heir novel · Chapter 19 of 24

Chapter 19: The King's Choice

The hall waited for me to answer.

The oldest warden still held the plain chair a hand's breadth off the floor, and his arms were beginning to tremble.

Perrin stood beside it with his bound hands folded.

"Speak for yourself, Prince Daelan," the warden said. "That is the custom. The one who claims the seat must say why it is his."

I knew what he wanted.

He wanted a speech about my mother, and the Atlas, and what I had suffered.

He wanted me to stand in front of the wardens and plead.

I looked at Maelis, and she gave me the smallest shake of her head.

"No," I said.

The warden frowned. "No?"

"I will not argue for my own place. I did that at the feast, and at the Court of Hours, and it made no difference to anyone in this room."

A murmur ran along the galleries.

"If you want to know whom the seat belongs to, ask the thing that chose me. The Crown is on my head. The Atlas is under my arm. I have nothing else to prove."

"That is not an answer," said one of the lords of the high places.

"It is the only one I have. I won't beg you for a throne I was born into."

I said it to the wardens, but I was looking at my father.

He sat on the high seat with his hands on the arms and his eyes on the floor.

I thought of the terrace, and the quiet son I had promised not to be.

I thought of the first life, when he had sat in that seat while his daughters walked me to the Vault.

← Chapter 18 · All chapters · Chapter 20 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend