Chapter 25
Part 25: The House With the Blue Door
Six months later, Sofia moved into a small house overlooking the sea.
It had white walls.
A narrow garden.
And a bright blue front door.
There were no royal guards at the entrance.
No chandeliers.
No servants.
Only books, flowers, and sunlight streaming across wooden floors.
She chose the house because it reminded her of the places Claire had dreamed of living.
Thomas helped her carry boxes inside.
Their relationship remained complicated.
Some days, Sofia wanted to hear every story he'd saved from her childhood.
Other days, she struggled to forgive him for disappearing.
Thomas never demanded that she move faster.
He came when she invited him.
He left when she needed space.
And gradually, they began learning how to be father and daughter again.
On the mantel stood a photograph of Claire laughing in the summer sunshine.
Beside it rested the faded infant bracelet.
Sofia kept both not as relics of royalty, but as reminders of the woman who had loved her.
A knock sounded at the door.
Victor stood outside holding a cardboard box.
He wore jeans, a white shirt, and an old denim jacket.
No medals.
No insignia.
No sapphire ring.
Sofia raised an eyebrow.
"You're early."
"Apparently civilians arrive early."
She smiled.
"What did you bring?"
"Books."
"More books?"
"And something else."
He opened the box.
Inside was a small wooden horse.
The toy Jonathan Reed had carved for him when he was six.
Victor had recently found it in a storage room at the palace.
He held it carefully.
"I'm donating most of my childhood possessions to the heritage museum."
Sofia looked at the horse.
"But not this?"
He shook his head.
"This one I'm keeping."
She smiled gently.
"I think your father would like that."
Victor looked down.
"For years, I thought being a prince was the most important thing about me."
"And now?"
He gave a small laugh.
"Now I'm trying to figure out how to make a decent cup of coffee."
"Ambitious."
"Terrifying, actually."
They laughed.
Then Victor became serious.
"The constitutional convention voted yesterday."
Sofia nodded.
"I saw."
Valmont would retain a ceremonial monarchy only if approved by a national referendum.
The royal household's finances would become transparent.
The Crown's former private assets would face independent oversight.
Succession would no longer grant automatic political authority.
Sofia had publicly supported the right of the people to decide the institution's future without endorsing a predetermined result.
"What will you do if they abolish it?"
Victor asked.
She shrugged.
"Continue living."
"And if they keep it?"
"Continue living."
Victor smiled.
"You really don't care about the crown."
Sofia looked toward Claire's photograph.
"I care about the people who were hurt by it."
They sat on the back porch as the sun descended toward the sea.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Victor asked quietly, "Do you think people can really change?"
Sofia considered the question.
"Sometimes."
"Do you think I have?"
She looked at him.
"I think you've started."
He nodded.
"That's fair."
A breeze moved through the garden.
Sofia closed her eyes.
May you like
For the first time in years, she didn't feel the need to search every silence for danger.
She was home.
