2025-11-05 17:09:17Chapter Five
Declan stared at the woman in the white suit for a long moment, unsure if he was still half asleep. She looked too perfect, too calm, too… powerful. Her hair was tied in a tight blonde bun, not a strand out of place. Her heels clicked softly as she stepped forward, still smiling. “You must be freezing,” she said. “Please follow me.” Another tall man in a black suit stood beside her. His face was blank, unreadable. He opened the back door of a sleek black limousine and waited. Declan didn’t move. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if his brain was playing tricks on him. The woman placed her hand on her chest politely. “My name is Ms. Sonia,” she said. “I will be your personal secretary. I will guide you from now on.” Declan blinked at her, confused. “Secretary?” he echoed. “Whose secretary?” “Yours,” she said gently. “Young master.” He let out a short laugh …tired and disbelieving. Right now, he was in dirty clothes, hungry, bruised, and had just slept in a cold cell with criminals. There was nothing “young master” about him. “This is a joke,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s no way Stefan sent you to kidnap me. He isn’t that creative. And nobody else cares about me, so… where are the cameras? Is this a prank show?” He looked around, half expecting someone to jump out holding a phone. Ms. Sonia didn’t laugh. Her expression remained calm and respectful, even. “This is not a prank,” she said softly. She opened a thin leather file in her hand and pulled out a photograph. She offered it to him. Declan reached for it slowly, still doubtful… His breath hitched. It was a photo of Grandma Nana , but not the Nana he knew. Not the woman in the stable with tired hands and worn clothes. This Nana wore a deep blue silk suit, elegant jewelry, and her hair was styled neatly. Her smile was soft, warm, but her posture… regal. She looked like someone important. Someone powerful. Someone from another life. Declan felt as though his mind had been split open. “This… is Nana?” he whispered. Ms. Sonia nodded. “She was a remarkable woman.” Before he could ask anything more, she flipped to the next page. A picture of the emerald ring filled the sheet , the same ring resting on his finger now. “And this,” she continued, “belongs to the Hale royal line.” Declan stared at the ring. His ring. The only thing Nana had left him. He swallowed hard, but his throat felt tight. “I hope,” Ms. Sonia said gently, “that with this, you can trust me enough to come with us to the private quarters. Once there, His Royal Highness will speak with you personally.” His mind spun. Royal… Highness? He felt lightheaded. All the energy drained from him. Every logical thought fluttered like papers blown by wind. This was insane. Completely insane. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he was still asleep in the cell. But… what was the worst that could happen? His life was already a disaster. He had nothing left anyway. Declan let out a shaky breath. He nodded. “Fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll go.” Ms. Sonia’s eyes softened, as if she knew how overwhelmed he felt. “Thank you, young master,” she said gently. “Please step inside.” The bodyguard opened the limo door for him. Declan hesitated before climbing in grateful, strangely, because he didn’t even know how to open it. There was no visible handle. Ms. Sonia sat in the front beside the driver, her posture straight. “Would you like some champagne?” she asked, turning slightly. Declan’s heart jumped. Poison? His instinct screamed. “No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I’m fine.” He leaned back, unsure what to do with his hands. He could feel the ring warm against his skin. His thoughts returned again and again to Nana’s elegant photograph. Who was she? Who had she been? The car drove for a while through the city, leaving traffic and noise behind. Then the buildings changed. The roads widened. Security checkpoints appeared. Guards saluted the car as it passed. Declan’s eyes widened as the limousine moved through tall golden gates guarded by soldiers dressed in navy blue uniforms. The metal gate alone looked worth more than his entire orphanage. The car continued forward, rolling over smooth white stone. The world outside seemed to glow bright, organized, impossibly clean. He pressed closer to the window, breath catching in his throat. A castle stood before him. Not just a mansion. Not just a large estate. A castle. It stretched wider than his university, with white walls carved in Greek patterns, tall pillars rising like ancient gods, and fountains spraying crystal clear water into the air. The ground was so perfectly polished he could almost see his reflection on the driveway. Flower gardens lined the paths roses, lilies, flowers he didn’t even recognize, blooming like a dream. He tried to count how many staff and guards stood around, but there were too many. Everyone looked disciplined, uniformed, and important. His jaw stayed open. He had never seen anything like this not in magazines, not on TV, not even in his imagination. When the car finally stopped inside a marble-walled garage, Declan found himself surrounded by dozens of luxurious cars. Some looked like they belonged in museums. Some were custom models he had never seen before. He felt dizzy. The bodyguard stepped out first, opened Declan’s door again, and gave a small bow. “This way.” Declan followed beside Ms. Sonia, feeling completely out of place in his wrinkled clothes and tired face. They guided him toward a large doorway carved with gold designs. Two massive guards pushed the doors open. Inside, the hallway appeared endless. Bright golden chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and the marble floor shone like glass. At the far end stood an elderly man, tall and dignified, dressed in a white ceremonial robe stitched with gold thread. Around him were more than twenty bodyguards, all perfectly still. The old man smiled warmly and opened his arms as if greeting a long lost child. His voice was deep and steady as he called out: “Everyone, welcome the heir.”
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Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY FOURDeclan left the palace like a ghost with a borrowed body. His ribs hurt each time he breathed. His lip was still split. His cheek still burned from the slaps. He could not even cover it properly because he did not have a clean shirt, and he did not have a jacket. He only had his hands and the shame that followed him like a shadow.Ms. Sonia had said he was not alone. But the street did not feel like that.The street felt like the world had agreed to forget him.He walked out of the palace gate and kept going, because staying inside meant being watched, and being watched meant being used. His feet dragged, and the soles of his shoes felt thin like paper. He kept thinking about the ring. About how empty his finger felt. Like a piece of him had been torn off, not the jewelry, but the last proof that he mattered to someone.He stopped at the first shop, a small supermarket with a bright sign and a tired cashier. He walked in and forced his voice to sound normal.“Please
Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY THREEDeclan did not know how long he stood in that corridor, staring at the empty space on his finger where the ring used to sit. The air felt cold against his swollen cheek, and his throat tasted like iron. He kept replaying Stefan’s whisper in his head, the way it sounded less like advice and more like ownership.Then he felt it.A presence.He turned slightly, and Ms. Sonia was there.Not walking. Not approaching with calm steps. Standing close enough that he could smell her perfume under the palace air. Her eyes were sharp again, but the tightness in her face gave her away. She had seen it. She had heard enough.Declan tried to straighten, but pain pulled him back down. His knees wanted to fold. His pride wanted to fight her help, but his body was too broken for pride.Ms. Sonia grabbed his arm. “Move,” she said quietly.Declan blinked at her. “Where,” he asked.“To the only place that matters right now,” Ms. Sonia said. “Before Jacob decides to make another example
Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY TWOThe grand hall was bright and cold, like it was built to crush people. Declan stood between two guards with his arms pinned, his ribs screaming each time he breathed. He could still hear that metallic click behind him, and he knew it was not a mistake. It was a warning.Jacob stepped closer, calm and proud, holding the royal stick like it belonged to him. “Remove the ring,” Jacob said. “Do it now.”Declan looked down at the emerald and rubbed it with his thumb. “No,” Declan said quietly. “Not that.”A murmur moved through the hall. Uncle Markus smiled like he had been waiting for the word. “He still thinks he is somebody,” Uncle Markus said.Jacob’s eyes sharpened. “You are nobody,” Jacob said to Declan. “You are a guest here. A thief in royal clothes.”“I did not steal anything,” Declan said.The royal grandmaster stared at him without warmth. “Obey,” the royal grandmaster said. “That is all you are required to do.”Declan lifted his head. “I already gave the card a
Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY ONEDeclan did not remember how he got to the clinic.He only remembered the old security guard’s hands holding him steady, firm but gentle, like he had done this before. Declan’s nose would not stop bleeding, and every breath felt like it scraped his ribs. His shirt was soaked in sweat and blood, and the ring on his finger felt like the only solid thing left in his life.“Stay awake,” the old man kept saying. “Just stay awake.”Declan tried.But the moment the nurse pressed cotton under his nose and asked his name, Declan’s throat locked up. Not because he forgot his name. Because the name no longer sounded like protection.The nurse glanced at his swollen face. “Who did this to you,” she asked.Declan stared at the white tiles. He wanted to say Stefan. He wanted to scream it.But he saw it clearly now. Stefan was not alone anymore. Stefan never acted alone when he could borrow power.“I fell,” Declan lied.The nurse did not believe him, but she did not argue. She clean
Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTYDeclan waited behind the anatomy lab after the last students left. The campus lights were bright and cold, throwing shadows across the walkway. The note in his pocket felt heavy. Tonight. Behind the anatomy lab. Come alone. He should not have come, but he was here anyway, standing in the dark, listening.He touched the emerald ring on his finger and tried to steady his breathing. His ribs ached, his jaw hurt, and his pride felt bruised deeper than his skin.Footsteps came from the far end of the corridor. More than one set. Three figures walked into the light, and the first one smiled.It was Stefan.Stefan looked clean and confident, dressed like he owned the night. Two men followed behind him, thick and silent. Stefan stopped a few feet away and laughed.“Oh, Declan,” Stefan said. “You came.”“Why are you here,” Declan asked.Stefan spread his hands. “Because you thought we would rot in prison,” Stefan said. “You thought you could ruin me with one party stunt and some
Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY Nine The palace did not sleep, but the stables did. The air was cold and damp, and the smell of hay sat heavy in Declan’s nose. His body ached in a way he had never felt before. Every breath pulled pain from his ribs. Even his eyelids felt heavy, like they had been bruised too.He must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing he heard was a rough voice and the sharp scrape of a shovel on wood.“Stand up,” a man said.Declan opened his eyes slowly. A worker stood over him with a shovel in his hand, his face hard and tired. The worker did not look like someone who cared about royal drama. He looked like someone who had been surviving here for years.Declan tried to sit up, his bones screaming. “What time is it,” Declan asked.“Time to work,” the worker replied.Declan swallowed and pushed himself up. His shirt was stuck to his skin from dried blood and sweat. His mouth tasted bitter. He touched his ring without thinking, as if he needed to confirm it was stil
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