CHAPTER 3: THE LOST PRINCE
The palace physician treated the boy in a private room guarded by six armed officers.
The bullet had only grazed his shoulder.
Evelyn sat beside him, refusing to release his hand.
“What do they call you?” she asked.
The boy stared at the bandage.
“Noah.”
“Is that your real name?”
“I don’t know.”
Evelyn’s throat tightened.
“My son’s name was Oliver.”
The boy looked up.
“Aunt Cass called me that once.”
“When?”
“When she was angry.”
The Duke stood beside the fireplace, struggling to control his rage.
“What else do you remember?”
The child’s eyes moved toward the door.
“A big house in the woods. The windows had bars. There were other children before, but they always left.”
“Where did they go?”
Noah shook his head.
“They didn’t come back.”
Evelyn squeezed his hand.
“You’re safe now.”
“No,” he whispered. “Nobody is safe here.”
The Duke frowned. “Why would you say that?”
“Because Aunt Cass said my real family was full of bad people.”
The physician collected blood for a DNA test.
Evelyn watched the vial as if her entire life were inside it.
Three hours later, the palace laboratory director entered the room.
His expression said everything before he spoke.
“The result is conclusive.”
Evelyn stood.
“The child is your biological son.”
Her breath left her body.
She covered her mouth.
The Duke turned away, pressing one hand against the wall.
Noah watched them carefully.
“So she really is my mother?”
Evelyn fell to her knees beside the bed.
“Yes.”
The boy’s face crumpled.
“Why didn’t you find me?”
The question broke something inside her.
“I searched every day,” she said. “I never stopped.”
Noah studied her face.
Then he slowly placed his arms around her neck.
“I tried to find you too.”
The Duke approached them.
“This kidnapping was not random,” he said. “Someone took Oliver because of this family.”
Noah suddenly pulled away from Evelyn.
“There’s something in my jacket.”
A guard retrieved the torn jacket.
Hidden inside the lining was a small folded sheet of paper.
On it was a list of dates, bank account numbers, and several powerful names.
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At the bottom, written in red ink, were four words:
THE DUKE MUST DIE TONIGHT.
