Chapter 7 - THE KING WHO NEVER DIEDBy morning, the entire kingdom was talking about Victor Aranda's arrest.
News outlets reported that the royal family's longtime legal adviser had been detained following an armed confrontation inside the Palace of Santa Aurelia.
But the public knew nothing about the documents.
Nothing about Isabella.
Nothing about the adoption.
And nothing about Victor's final warning.
Elena sat in Rafael's study, staring at a photograph of King Alejandro.
He had supposedly died seventeen years earlier, only weeks after Isabella's fatal crash.
Official records said he suffered a sudden heart attack.
But Victor had implied something impossible.
That Alejandro had lived long after his reported death.
Rafael entered carrying a folder.
“I contacted an old friend at the Ministry of Justice.”
Elena looked up.
“And?”
“The death certificate was registered through a private medical office.”
“Who signed it?”
“A physician named Dr. Esteban Rivas.”
Elena frowned.
“Is he still alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Rafael hesitated.
“He's retired. Lives in a coastal village.”
Elena stood.
“Then we go.”
Rafael shook his head.
“Not yet.”
“Dad—”
“We need to be careful. Victor's arrest has frightened people who may have spent years protecting this secret.”
Elena looked at the photograph again.
“Why would anyone pretend a king was dead?”
Rafael sat across from her.
“Because a living king could reverse decisions made in his name.”
Elena felt cold.
“Beatriz.”
“Possibly.”
“And Adrián?”
“I don't believe Adrián knew.”
Elena was silent.
Despite everything he had done, she found herself wondering how it felt to discover that nearly every detail of your childhood had been manipulated.
Then she remembered his hand striking her face.
Compassion did not require forgetting.
That afternoon, Rafael received an unexpected call.
The voice belonged to Dr. Esteban Rivas.
“I understand you're looking for me.”
Rafael exchanged a glance with Elena.
“Yes.”
“Then listen carefully. I won't speak over the phone.”
“Where can we meet?”
“The old lighthouse at Puerto Azul. Tomorrow. Nine in the morning.”
“Why there?”
“Because it's the only place I know they can't easily surround.”
The call ended.
Elena stared at Rafael.
“He knows.”
Rafael nodded.
“Yes.”
The next morning, they drove along the coast beneath a gray sky.
The lighthouse stood on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea.
Its white paint was peeling.
The wind carried the smell of salt and rain.
Dr. Rivas waited beside a rusted iron gate.
He was eighty, thin and stooped, with a walking stick in one hand.
When he saw Rafael, his eyes filled with recognition.
“You look older.”
“So do you.”
Rivas gave a sad smile.
“Seventeen years will do that.”
They entered a small room at the base of the lighthouse.
Elena sat opposite him.
“Did you sign King Alejandro's death certificate?”
Rivas nodded.
“Yes.”
“Was he dead?”
The doctor closed his eyes.
“No.”
Elena's breath caught.
Rafael leaned forward.
“Where was he taken?”
Rivas looked toward the sea.
“After Isabella's death, Alejandro became determined to expose the people responsible. He planned to dissolve several royal trusts and open an independent investigation.”
“Beatriz opposed him,” Rafael said.
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Rivas's hands trembled.
“He was sedated. Removed from the palace. A death certificate was issued. The public was told their king had died peacefully.”
Elena whispered:
“Where did they take him?”
“A private medical institution in the northern mountains.”
“Is he still there?”
Rivas hesitated.
“I don't know.”
Rafael leaned closer.
“Tell us the name.”
The doctor removed a folded paper from his pocket.
“San Gabriel Residence.”
Elena took it.
Then Rivas gripped her hand.
“Your uncle tried to save your mother.”
Tears filled Elena's eyes.
“He knew she was in danger?”
“He knew Beatriz and Victor were planning something. He tried to warn Isabella, but by then it was too late.”
Rafael looked away.
Rivas continued.
“Alejandro spent years trying to contact you. Every letter was intercepted.”
Elena stared.
“He wrote to us?”
“Yes.”
“Where are the letters?”
Rivas reached into his coat.
He withdrew a small bundle tied with faded blue ribbon.
“These are the ones I managed to save.”
Elena carefully untied them.
The first envelope was addressed to Rafael.
The second to Elena.
The third carried a message written across the front.
For Elena, when she is old enough to know why her mother died.
Her hands trembled.
She opened it.
Inside was a single page.
The handwriting was shaky.
My dear niece,
If you ever read this, remember that your mother died because she refused to abandon the innocent.
I failed to protect her.
But I have spent every day since trying to correct that failure.
There is one person you must find.
Her name is Lucía Aranda.
She knows why Adrián was placed inside our family.
Elena looked up.
“Lucía again.”
Rivas nodded.
Then he said something that changed everything.
“Lucía wasn't merely Adrián's mother.”
May you like
He paused.
“She was the only witness to the night Beatriz ordered the king's disappearance.”
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