Chapter 5
Part 6: The King Everyone Worshipped
For twenty years, King Alexander had been remembered as the beloved monarch who modernized Valmont.
Schools carried his name.
Hospitals displayed his portrait.
Children learned stories of his generosity.
Sofia had grown up believing he was a noble man who would have protected her mother if he had lived.
Now his name hung in the underground chamber like a curse.
"Play it again," she whispered.
Thomas rewound the tape.
Claire's voice returned.
King Alexander knew everything.
Then came the older man's reply.
"My dear girl, you've misunderstood."
Sofia recognized the voice from archived royal broadcasts.
Her grandfather.
King Alexander.
"You moved Crown money into private accounts," Claire said on the recording.
"You financed Adrian Vale.
You created the security network that destroyed innocent people."
"You cannot understand what it takes to preserve a monarchy."
"You used the treasury to buy loyalty."
"I bought stability."
"You ruined lives."
A chair scraped.
Then Alexander spoke with chilling composure.
"One day, Claire, you'll understand that a crown is not a symbol of goodness.
It's a responsibility."
Claire answered immediately.
"Then perhaps you were never worthy of wearing it."
The recording ended.
Sofia stood motionless.
For the first time in her life, she felt grateful that she had never known her grandfather.
Victor leaned against a cabinet.
"My father always said Grandfather was the greatest king Valmont ever had."
Thomas gave a bitter smile.
"He was extraordinarily skilled at appearing noble."
Madeleine moved toward the desk.
"Alexander died before Claire was formally convicted."
Thomas shook his head.
"He died before the public trial.
He didn't die before the operation began."
Sofia looked at her father.
"Who killed him?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Officially, a heart attack."
"And unofficially?"
"We don't know."
Madeleine stared at the cassette.
"Claire never told me about this."
"She didn't trust you completely," Thomas said.
The queen's expression hardened.
"I risked everything to help her escape."
"You also married Gabriel."
"Because I thought I could stop him from becoming his father."
Thomas didn't answer.
Sofia looked between them.
"Then why did my mother preserve her royal claim?
If she knew the monarchy was corrupt, why not destroy it?"
Thomas opened another drawer.
"Because she believed the Crown still had legal authority to investigate its own financial institutions.
The declaration wasn't just about inheritance."
He handed Sofia a copy of an old constitutional article.
Under the Succession and Guardianship Act, a recognized royal heir could petition the Supreme Constitutional Court for a full audit of Crown-controlled assets.
Even when the reigning monarch opposed it.
"Claire wanted to use the law to expose them," Thomas said.
Sofia read the article.
"And now I can."
"If the court recognizes you."
Victor stepped closer.
"The declaration is genuine.
I saw Grandfather's seal."
"The palace council will contest it," Madeleine warned.
Thomas nodded.
"And Gabriel will claim the Crystal Hand was tampered with."
Sofia looked at the bracelet.
"Then we need proof he can't destroy."
Thomas reached toward a folder labeled Alexander — Personal Correspondence.
Inside lay a photograph of a dark-haired man standing beside King Alexander.
Sofia had never seen him before.
"Who is he?"
"Adrian Vale."
The man was handsome in a severe, unsettling way.
His eyes were pale and emotionless.
Thomas turned the photograph over.
On the back was an inscription.
To my most loyal son.
Sofia frowned.
"Alexander called him his son?"
Madeleine snatched the photograph.
She stared at it.
Then she whispered, "That isn't possible."
Victor leaned closer.
"What?"
Madeleine looked as if she might faint.
"Alexander had an illegitimate child before he married Gabriel's mother."
She turned toward Sofia.
"Nobody ever knew his name."
Thomas watched her carefully.
"Claire found out."
Sofia's heartbeat accelerated.
"Adrian Vale?"
Thomas nodded.
May you like
"Your grandfather had a third child.
And for decades, that child has been controlling the royal family's secrets."
