My Substitute CEO Bride

Ironsteel lit one last cigarette for Power.

"Goodbye, Stephen."

Ironsteel smiled with a sense of release. He did not expect Power to call his real name after all this time.

...

Outside, the battle raged on, but the fierce clashes did not affect those inside the palace. By now, the minor adversaries had been thoroughly dealt with, leaving only the main showdown.

This was the final reckoning between Peter and Dusvad.

Peter knew he was no match for Dusvad. He was repeatedly forced back by Dusvad's powerful strikes. However, none of that mattered. He had come to face Dusvad with conviction. Even as he staggered and was battered, he rose time and again, driven by his own indomitable will.

He understood now that it was precisely because he had once lacked this unshakable resolve and strength that he had never been truly trusted.

Complaints were meaningless; he would be simply using his weakness as an excuse. Now, he would prove his strength to his father with his own hands. He would carry forward the will of those who had passed.

"I'll make Sand Country flourish, Dad. With all that you've taught me, I promise to become stronger than any of you!"

Gradually, the people present began cheering for the young prince, their voices spreading through a live broadcast across Sand Country. They were rooting for him. They saw the resolve in his eyes and, little by little, they, too, began to believe in the young prince fighting before them.

No, he was no longer just a prince. He was Peter Bradstone!

The crowd's cheers echoed in Peter's ears, filling him with renewed strength.noveldrama

"Dad, are you still unwilling to wake up? Look at the people around us and listen to their voices. They believe in you wholeheartedly. Why do you keep pushing everyone away?" Peter took a slow step toward Dusvad and said, "There's still time."

At last, Dusvad dropped his hands, and Peter allowed himself a faint smile. However, in an instant,

Dusvad pulled a dagger from hisnet

waist and slashed it across Peter's face Stunned, Peter recoiled eyes wide in disbelief. Had his father really deceived him?

"H-How could this be?" Peter whispered, struggling to reconcile his father's earlier

expression of peace with his sudden, violent act. He could not understand.

Dusvad advanced toward the crowd and roared, "I told you all! I'm the king of Sand Country! None of you-no one-will defy my will!"

At that moment, the crowd's emotions had reached a boiling point. With anger and resolve, they charged at Dusvad. The crowd swarmed him, and by the time Peter pushed the crowd away, Dusvad had been overwhelmed and beaten to death.

Pain filled Peter, but just then, an ordinary person removed the crown from Dusvad's head and placed it on his. Sensing the shift, the crowd knelt before him. "Prince Peter, please lead us and restore Sand Country's glory," they pleaded. Peter's gaze was hollow as the weight of his loss was heavy upon him. Still, he knew what he had to do at that moment. He adjusted the crown firmly on his head and picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground.

"From now on, I'm the king of Sand Country!" he declared, his voice filled with newfound authority. He raised his voice higher as the crowd hung on his every word.

"I'll always stand for the interests of the people! hereby announce that if Gorgeous Country ever dares to

invade us, they'll find return impossible. I will form an alliance with Drakonia to resist all evidforces led by Gorgeous Country."

With those words, the crowd lifted him high. The turmoil within Sand Country finally came to an end.