05/18/2026
Lena looked up, startled. No one had ever looked at her like that in this room.
Then he spoke. “Your Highness.”
The tray slipped slightly in her hands. “What did you say?” Her voice barely existed.
Victoria’s smile faded instantly. The man beside her, Charles Whitman, stiffened.
Adrian lowered his head slightly. “Please forgive us.”
The temperature of the room seemed to drop. People didn’t understand yet. But they knew something had shifted.
Victoria stepped forward, her voice sharp. “What is this nonsense?”
Charles forced a laugh. “Is this some kind of performance?”
Adrian didn’t even glance at them. “I said…” A pause. Silence spread like a shadow. “…Princess Elena Volkov.”
The name landed like a crack of thunder. Lena froze completely. Victoria stepped back, pale. Charles lost all color.
The tray rattled in Lena’s hands. A memory hit her like a wave. Fire. Smoke. Screaming. A palace burning in the night. A child being carried away by a man she never saw again.
“That’s not possible,” Victoria whispered.
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PART 2 IN THE COMMENT