PART 3
PART 3 — The Queen Returns Home
Three days later, Princess Alina stepped off a military aircraft onto the soil of Velkria for the first time in seventeen years.
The wind carried the scent of the sea.
The mountains surrounding the capital looked exactly as she remembered.
For a moment she was eight years old again.
Running through palace gardens.
Laughing beside her mother.
Listening to her father tell stories beneath the royal flag.
Then reality returned.
Armed soldiers lined the runway.
Television crews waited behind security barriers.
Thousands of citizens had gathered outside the airport.
Many held photographs of the late King Alexander and Queen Elena.
Others carried signs.
WELCOME HOME, PRINCESS ALINA.
The sight nearly broke her heart.
All these years...
They had not forgotten.
As Alina walked forward, the crowd erupted into applause.
Some people cried openly.
Others knelt.
Others simply stood in silence.
Watching history unfold.
Richard walked beside her.
So did Commander Viktor.
The world watched live.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the last surviving heir of Velkria had returned.
But not everyone was celebrating.
Inside a heavily guarded estate overlooking the capital, Victor Draven watched the broadcast.
The billionaire whose face appeared in Viktor's evidence folder.
The man who had secretly financed the coup years ago.
The man responsible for the deaths of Alina's parents.
His expression remained calm.
But his eyes burned with hatred.
"She should have stayed hidden."
One of his advisors shifted nervously.
"Sir, public support is growing."
Victor slammed his hand onto the desk.
"Then destroy her credibility."
Within hours, media outlets across Europe began attacking Alina.
Fake stories appeared.
Claims she was an imposter.
Claims she wanted power.
Claims she was being manipulated by foreign interests.
The attacks spread rapidly.
Richard watched the reports with disbelief.
"They're trying to bury you."
Alina remained calm.
"No."
She looked out the palace window.
"They're afraid."
The next morning, Alina made a decision that shocked everyone.
She called for a live national broadcast.
Millions tuned in.
The entire country waited.
When Alina stepped before the cameras, she wasn't wearing a crown.
She wasn't dressed as royalty.
She wore the same silver necklace her mother had given her.
The same necklace she had hidden beneath a maid's uniform for years.
The room fell silent.
Then she spoke.
"My name is Alina Elena Valek."
Her voice was steady.
"I am the daughter of King Alexander and Queen Elena."
Across the nation, people listened.
For the next twenty minutes she told the truth.
Not about politics.
Not about power.
About loss.
Fear.
Loneliness.
The years spent hiding.
The people who protected her.
The family she lost.
By the time she finished, many viewers were crying.
Then came the moment nobody expected.
Alina held up the evidence folder.
"The people responsible for my parents' deaths are still among us."
The room froze.
Reporters stared.
Cameras zoomed closer.
And then, one by one, she revealed the documents.
Bank transfers.
Secret communications.
Signed orders.
Photographs.
Proof.
Overwhelming proof.
The nation watched in shock.
So did international investigators.
So did Victor Draven.
For the first time in years, the billionaire looked afraid.
Because the evidence was undeniable.
Within forty-eight hours, prosecutors launched criminal investigations.
Bank accounts were frozen.
Associates disappeared.
Several former officials were arrested.
The empire Victor Draven had spent decades building began collapsing around him.
And he knew exactly who was responsible.
The little princess he thought had died.
That night, Alina stood alone on a palace balcony overlooking the capital.
Thousands of citizens filled the streets below.
Holding candles.
Singing old royal songs.
The same songs her mother used to sing.
Richard quietly joined her.
Neither spoke for a while.
Finally he broke the silence.
"You did it."
Alina shook her head.
"No."
Her eyes moved across the crowd.
"It's only beginning."
Richard smiled.
For the first time, she wasn't running.
She wasn't hiding.
She wasn't surviving.
She was fighting.
And below them, an entire nation was beginning to believe again.
But deep inside a private jet leaving Europe, Victor Draven stared at a newspaper featuring Alina's face.
His empire was falling.
His allies were abandoning him.
His freedom was disappearing.
Yet one dangerous smile slowly appeared.
Then he whispered:
"If I can't control the kingdom..."
His eyes darkened.
May you like
"...I'll burn it down."
To be continued...
