Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Chapter 178

"Why would you do this?"

Zelda’s expression twisted with open contempt, as though Amelia had just asked the most ridiculous question imaginable.

"Because you’re a fool." She folded her arms, looking Amelia up and down. "You had access to powers most people could only dream of, and what did you do with them? Nothing. You could have used them to make yourself untouchable, to take control of everything around you, but instead, you threw them away for the sake of some ridiculous promise of love."

Amelia watched her, her brows drawing together.

Zelda scoffed. "I kept asking myself the same question. If Amelia refuses to use these powers for her own gain, why can’t I? Why should all that potential go to waste just because you have some absurd moral code?"

"You know why I didn’t care about any of that." Amelia shifted against the restraints, trying to ease the ache in her shoulders. Her wrists had begun to hurt from being held in the same position for so long, but she kept her gaze on Zelda. "I wanted to be with my fated mates. That was what mattered to me."

Zelda simply stared at her. Then her face darkened.

"That’s exactly why you’re stupid."

Amelia barely had time to register the change in her expression before Zelda raised her hand and made a sharp signal toward the control panels.

"Go on," she ordered.

The operators moved immediately.

The current surged through Amelia’s body without warning.

A strangled groan escaped her as her back arched against the restraints. Her fingers curled so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, and her legs jerked helplessly as the electricity tore through her muscles. She tried to draw a breath, but the pain made it difficult to do anything except endure it.

"Zelda!" she managed through clenched teeth.

Zelda didn’t even move an inch.

"That’s enough," she told the operators after several agonizing seconds.

The current subsided, leaving Amelia slumped against the restraints, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Sweat dampened her forehead, and a few strands of hair clung to her cheeks. She swallowed hard, trying to steady her breathing before she looked at Zelda again.

"If you’re trying to make me agree with you," Amelia rasped, "you might want to reconsider your methods."

Zelda’s mouth tightened.

"I’m sick of listening to you talk about those men as though they’re worth all this trouble." She stepped closer, her heels clicking against the floor. "Do you have any idea how frustrating it was to watch you throw everything away for men who aren’t even worthy to lick your shoes?"

Amelia’s tired eyes narrowed.

"Here we go again."

"No, you’re going to listen to me this time."

Zelda reached behind her and seized the higher-ranking Underworld member by the hair. She dragged him forward, The man stumbled, but he made no attempt to resist, keeping his head lowered as Zelda tightened her grip.

Amelia’s gaze flickered toward him before returning to Zelda.

Zelda gave the man another rough tug, making him stumble forward. "Look at him. Look at all of them. You had the power to change the entire world, Amelia. You could have overturned every form of authority and established a system where men finally had to answer for themselves. You could have kept them on a leash and enforced rules that never favored them."

"And you think that’s what I wanted?"

"I think you were too foolish to understand what you had."

Amelia let out a disbelieving breath. Even with her body aching and her powers sealed, she couldn’t stop herself from shaking her head.

"I never liked ruling in the first place. Why would I want to spend the rest of my life controlling everyone around me?" She paused, watching Zelda’s grip tighten in the man’s hair. "And what you’re describing isn’t rulership. It’s dictatorship."

Zelda’s eyes flashed.

"Do I look like I care?"

"Apparently not."

"Men never cared about what women wanted! They made the rules, decided who deserved power, and expected everyone else to live with it. They took whatever they wanted and called it their right." Zelda’s voice grew louder with every sentence. "So why should I care about being fair to them? Why should I show them the consideration they never showed us?"

"Because becoming exactly like the people you hate doesn’t make you any better than they are."

"Easy for you to say!"

Zelda released the man’s hair to point an accusing finger at Amelia.

"You had everything! Power, abilities, the chance to change things forever! And you threw it all away because you wanted cuddles and sweet little romantic moments with your precious mates."

"Honestly, Zelda, do you hear yourself?"

"Don’t you dare laugh at me."

"I’m not laughing because this is funny." Amelia lifted her head again, meeting Zelda’s furious gaze. "I’m laughing because you keep talking as though wanting to be happy was some kind of personal failure."

"Happy?" Zelda repeated bitterly. "You call what you did happiness? You spent years cleaning up the mess left behind by the Demon King. You fought his followers, risked your life over and over again, and for what? So you could spend whatever time you had left wrapped in the arms of three men?"

"Yes!" Amelia snapped.

The word rang through the chamber, catching Zelda off guard.

Amelia pulled against her restraints, wincing when the movement sent another dull ache through her arms. She ignored it, her eyes fixed on Zelda.

"Yes, I wanted that. I wanted to come home to people I loved. I wanted to have quiet moments without worrying about who was going to die next. I wanted to laugh, to cuddle, to enjoy the little things I spent so much of my life fighting to protect. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?"

"Because you could have had so much more!"

"And I didn’t want what you’re offering!"

The words hung between them.

"I wanted the territory to be at peace," she continued, her voice settling into something firmer. "I wanted people to have the chance to live without being dragged into another war. Did you honestly think I would choose endless fighting, bloodshed, and destruction over the few precious moments I could have with the people I loved? Of course I wouldn’t."

Zelda’s lips parted, but Amelia didn’t give her a chance to interrupt.

"Those moments made me happy. They were worth more to me than sitting on a throne and forcing everyone to obey me." She gave Zelda a tired, incredulous look. "So take your trust issues, your superiority complex, and your heartbreak, and shove them up your ass."

The operator closest to the control panel briefly lowered his head, suddenly finding the screen in front of him very interesting.

Zelda noticed.

"Is something funny?" she demanded.

The operator immediately straightened. "No, ma’am."

"Then keep your eyes on your work."

He turned back to the controls.

Amelia watched the exchange, then looked at Zelda again. "You see? That’s your problem. You want everyone to be afraid of you because you think fear is the same thing as respect."

Zelda’s face flushed with anger.

"How could you put so much trust in men who tortured you from the moment they met you?" she demanded. "They hurt you. They made you suffer. And yet, the moment they started showing you affection, you simply let everything go! How could you do that? How could you forgive them so easily?"

Amelia’s expression changed. She stared at Zelda as though she couldn’t decide whether to argue with her or laugh at the sheer absurdity of the question.

"Who said I let everything go?"

"Did I ever tell you I forgot what happened? Did I tell you that loving someone meant pretending they never hurt me? Because I don’t remember saying any of that."

"But you still chose them!"

"Yes, I did. That’s what a choice is, Zelda. I made mine. You don’t have to like it."

Amelia sighed, letting her head fall back against the support. "Gosh, I should have forced you into therapy from the beginning. None of this would be happening if I had."

Then, with a sudden burst of anger, she released the man’s hair and drove her foot into him.

He fell hard to the ground, his body hitting the floor with a dull thud. He didn’t cry out or attempt to defend himself. He simply remained where he had fallen, his face turned away as he endured the blow in silence.

Amelia’s expression hardened. "Was that really necessary?"

Zelda looked down at the man with disgust before turning back to Amelia.

"All men are the same."