CHAPTER FIVE

The office was pitch black. The only light came from the golden map floating in the air and the glowing key in my hand. Theodore grabbed my arm. His grip was strong and steady.

"We have to move, Evelyn! Now!" he shouted over the roar of the helicopter outside.

I couldn't move. My eyes were fixed on the map. I saw a name written in the golden dust: The House of Valerius. It was a name from old legends, a family that was supposed to be extinct.

"Is that... me?" I whispered.

"Yes," Theodore said, pulling me toward the private elevator. "You aren't a common girl. You are the last daughter of the High Throne. Mark’s family were just servants who stayed in your shadow. But the people who burned your home twenty years ago have found you."

The elevator doors opened. We stepped inside. As we went down, the building shook. A loud explosion came from the roof. They weren't just coming to talk; they were coming to destroy everything.

The elevator hit the ground floor. We ran into the underground garage. Theodore’s black car was waiting. We jumped in, and he floored the gas. We roared out into the street just as three black SUVs blocked the entrance.

"Who are they?" I asked, looking through the back window.

"The Shadow Guard," Theodore replied, driving fast through the dark city streets. "They serve the man who took your father’s place. If they catch you, the secret of the True Royals dies forever."

We raced toward the docks. The city felt different tonight. It felt dangerous. Every shadow looked like an enemy.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" I asked, clutching the glowing key.

Theodore looked at me. For a second, I saw sadness in his eyes. "Because as long as you were just a 'normal' girl, you were safe. But the moment you stepped into the light as a CEO, the world noticed. Your power woke up the key."

We arrived at a private pier. A fast boat was waiting, its engine humming quietly. Theodore stopped the car and grabbed a bag from the back seat.

"Go to the boat," he commanded. "The captain knows where to take you. It is a hidden island where the Guard cannot follow."

"What about you?" I asked, my heart breaking. He had protected me when I was nothing. I couldn't leave him now.

Theodore reached out and touched my face. "I have to stay and lead them away. If we both go, they will find the island. I will find you when it is safe. I promise."

I climbed into the boat. The engine roared to life. As we pulled away from the dock, I saw the black SUVs arrive. Men in masks jumped out with weapons. 

Theodore stood alone in the middle of the pier, holding his ground to give me time.

I looked down at the key in my hand. The golden map was fading, but a new message appeared on the metal. It was a set of coordinates and a single word: 

RECLAIM.

The boat hit a huge wave, and the city started to disappear in the distance. I looked at the dark ocean ahead. I had started the night as a CEO looking for revenge. Now, I was a Queen looking for a lost kingdom.

Suddenly, the water in front of the boat began to glow. A giant gate made of white stone rose out of the sea. It was beautiful and terrifying. The boat didn't slow down; it sped up, heading straight for the solid rock.

"Captain!" I screamed. "We’re going to hit it!"

The captain didn't look back. He pointed at my hand. 

"The key, My Lady! Hold up the key!"

I held the glowing silver key toward the stone gate.

 The air began to vibrate. Just before we hit the wall, the stone turned into a liquid mirror. We splashed through the surface and entered a world where the sky was purple and the trees were made of silver.

I turned around to look back at the world I knew, but the gate was gone. There was only a beautiful, golden palace waiting on the hill.

But then, I felt a cold wind. I looked up at the palace balcony. A man was standing there, dressed in white armor. He wasn't smiling. He raised a horn to his lips and blew a sound that shook the very ground.

From the woods, thousands of silver birds flew into the air, and a voice boomed from the palace walls:

"The pretender has arrived. Bring me her head.”