The predawn wind blew through the cracks in the ancient underground passage.
Elisa was still staring at Arthur.
His words echoed in her mind like a bell impossible to ignore.
“The kingdom you believe in never existed.”
—What does that mean?—Her voice trembled. —Are you saying that… it’s all a lie?
Arthur looked away.
—I’m saying that the history they taught you is only the version that serves the Crown.
—Then tell me the truth.
He remained silent.
—Arthur.
—The less you know, the safer you’ll be.
—After what I just heard?—Elisa took a step forward. —Do you really think there’s any safety left?
He sighed.
He knew she was right.
—Come with me.
The passage ended behind an old abandoned chapel at the edge of the castle gardens. It was a place forgotten by time. Vines covered the walls, and moonlight filtered through the roof.
Arthur walked over to a stone bench and took out a small key fastened to the cord around his neck.
Behind the altar stood a dark wooden box.
He opened it.
Inside were dozens of loose sheets bound with faded ribbons.
—What is this?
—The pages that disappeared from the library books.
Elisa’s eyes widened.
—You… kept them?
—My grandfather did. Before he died, he made me promise that no one would destroy them.
She picked up one of the sheets with extreme care.
The ink had faded, but it was still possible to read.
“In the heir’s eighteenth year, the truth will walk once more through the castle corridors.”
Her heart raced.
She kept reading.
“The royal bloodline was not chosen by the people, but by bloodshed.”
She frowned.
—This doesn’t make sense…
Arthur handed her another page.
There was a drawing on it.
It wasn’t the crest of the kingdom Elisa knew.
It was something else.
A silver tree surrounded by stars.
—That symbol…
—It was the crest of the family that ruled before.
—Before… my father?
Arthur nodded slowly.
—Your father didn’t inherit the throne the way they say he did.
Elisa felt her knees weaken.
—Are you saying he…
—Seized the kingdom.
The silence that followed seemed to last an eternity.
Elisa shook her head.
—No.
Arthur didn’t answer.
—No… he would never do that.
But deep down, the pieces were beginning to fall into place.
The incomplete books.
The hidden manuscripts.
The conversation underground.
Arthur’s fear.
Everything pointed in the same direction.
She closed her eyes.
For the first time in her life, she didn’t know whom to believe.
The next morning, the castle had been completely transformed.
The grand ball would take place that night.
Crystal chandeliers were being hung in the main hall.
Musicians tuned their instruments.
Carriages began arriving from different kingdoms.
The queen supervised every detail with her impeccable smile.
When she saw Elisa coming down the staircase, she opened her arms.
—My darling! Come try on your ball gown.
Elisa smiled, trying to hide the turmoil inside her.
—Of course, Mom.
As the seamstresses adjusted the bodice of the pale-blue gown, Elisa watched her mother in the mirror.
She looked happy.
Or she was very good at pretending.
A question arose in Elisa’s mind.
—Mom…
—Yes?
—Has Dad always been king?
The queen paused for a brief moment.
So briefly that anyone else might not have noticed.
But Elisa did.
—What a curious question…
She smiled again.
—Of course he has.
A lie.
Elisa was certain.
Not because of the answer.
Because of the fear that flashed through her mother’s eyes before she smiled again.
By nightfall, the royal hall was shining like never before.
Gowns glittered beneath the light of thousands of candles.
Nobles laughed.
Goblets were raised.
Music filled every corner of the castle.
Elisa descended the grand staircase beneath everyone’s watchful eyes.
Her dress looked as though it had been made from water and moonlight.
The king smiled proudly when he saw her.
For a moment, anyone would have believed they were a perfect family.
But Elisa now saw everything differently.
The smiles.
The bows.
The carefully chosen words.
Everything seemed like a play.
As she danced the first waltz, her eyes discreetly swept across the hall.
Until they found Arthur.
He watched everything from the library entrance, hidden among the shadows.
Suddenly, he made an almost imperceptible gesture.
A single movement of his head.
As if he were saying:
Now.
Without drawing attention, Elisa left the hall as the music changed.
She found Arthur in the corridor.
—What happened?
He looked more tense than ever.
—The pages weren’t everything.
—What do you mean?
Arthur slowly opened his hand.
Inside it was a small silver medallion covered in ancient symbols.
—I found this hidden inside one of the manuscripts.
Elisa picked up the artifact.
The moment her fingers touched the medallion…
It began to emit a faint blue light.
The two of them exchanged a frightened look.
And for the first time, the medallion seemed to… respond to her presence.
Arthur took a step back, completely pale.
—Elisa…
—What?
He swallowed hard.
—I think you’re not just the princess of this kingdom.