Chapter Twelve
677 Words
The Message
Aurora couldn't stop staring at the photograph.
The image remained on Lorenzo's phone screen.
Every time she looked at it, the same thought returned.
Someone had been watching her.
Not from a distance.
Not by accident.
Deliberately.
Carefully.
For how long?
She wasn't sure she wanted the answer.
The silence inside the study room felt heavy.
Lorenzo finally lowered the phone.
His expression remained unreadable.
"Don't panic."
Aurora blinked.
"That's your advice?"
"It's a good start."
Despite everything, a small laugh escaped her.
Only Lorenzo could tell someone not to panic after showing them proof they were being followed.
"I mean it," he said.
"We don't know what they actually know."
Aurora folded her arms.
"They know enough to send that message."
Lorenzo couldn't argue with that.
Because she was right.
The photograph wasn't random.
It was a warning.
Or worse.
A promise.
"What happens now?"
The question left her mouth before she could stop it.
Lorenzo leaned back slightly.
"We investigate."
Aurora sighed.
Of course he would say that.
To Lorenzo, every problem seemed solvable.
Find the facts.
Follow the evidence.
Uncover the truth.
Simple.
Unfortunately, life wasn't simple.
A knock interrupted them.
The security guard reappeared.
"Sir."
Lorenzo stood.
"What is it?"
The guard handed him a small envelope.
"No sender."
Aurora's stomach dropped.
She was beginning to hate mysterious envelopes.
Lorenzo examined it carefully before opening it.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
Nothing else.
No signature.
No explanation.
Just one sentence.
THE PRINCESS WILL FALL FIRST.
Aurora felt the blood drain from her face.
The room spun.
Princess.
Not Aurora.
Not Kingsley.
Princess.
Lorenzo's eyes moved slowly from the paper to her.
Aurora's heart stopped.
For one terrible moment, neither spoke.
Neither moved.
The words hung between them.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Impossible to ignore.
"Princess?"
Lorenzo's voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aurora closed her eyes.
This was it.
The secret she'd spent years protecting.
The truth she'd hidden from almost everyone.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
She opened her eyes.
And for the first time since meeting Lorenzo De Luca, she told him the truth.
"My name is Aurora Valentina Kingsley."
Lorenzo frowned.
"I know that."
"No."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"You don't."
She took a deep breath.
Then said the words she'd spent years avoiding.
"I'm a member of the Kingsley royal family."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Lorenzo stared at her.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
As if waiting for her to laugh and say it was a joke.
She didn't.
Because it wasn't.
"You..."
For perhaps the first time in his life, Lorenzo De Luca seemed completely speechless.
Aurora almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
"I wanted a normal life."
Her voice softened.
"So I kept it hidden."
Lorenzo slowly sat down again.
The shock on his face was impossible to miss.
Suddenly, a lot of things made sense.
The palace.
The connections.
Lord Whitmore.
The secrets.
Everything.
And yet, none of that mattered.
Not compared to the realization that Aurora had trusted him enough to tell him.
Finally,
A long silence followed.
Aurora braced herself.
For anger.
For disappointment.
For questions.
Instead, Lorenzo surprised her.
Again.
"You should have told me sooner."
His voice was calm.
Not angry.
Not accusing.
Just honest.
Aurora nodded.
"I know."
"But..."
Lorenzo looked directly at her.
"I'm glad you told me now."
Aurora blinked.
That wasn't the reaction she expected.
Not even close.
For the first time that day, some of the fear eased from her chest.
Only a little.
But enough.
Unfortunately, the moment didn't last.
Because somewhere across the city, inside a dark office, a phone began to ring.
The mysterious man answered immediately.
"Well?"
A voice on the other end laughed softly.
"The message was delivered."
The man smiled.
"And the princess?"
"Exactly where we want her."
The call ended.
Slowly, the man turned toward the wall.
Dozens of photographs covered it.
Kingsleys.
De Lucas.
Business leaders.
Politicians.
Targets.
At the very center sat Aurora's picture.
Marked with a red circle.
The man smiled.
The game had finally begun.
- Writer
