CHAPTER 5 "The Kingdom Celebrated the Sheikh's Fallā¦ Until One Letter Revealed the Real Enemy Had Never Been Caught."
For three days, the kingdom celebrated.
The palace gates, once guarded by soldiers loyal to Sheikh Rashid, now stood open to ordinary people. Families filled the courtyards that had once been forbidden to them. Musicians played through the streets, children laughed, and merchants gave away bread and fruit in honor of the return of the lost princess.
Leila should have been happy.
Instead...
She couldn't sleep.
Every night, the black stallion paced outside her window, refusing to rest. It was the same restless behavior it had shown before danger.
The horse sensed something.
On the fourth night, Leila walked alone through the royal library.
She wanted answers.
If Sheikh Rashid had truly planned everything twenty years ago...
Why had he written a confession?
Why would a man clever enough to steal a kingdom leave evidence that could destroy him?
Nothing made sense.
While searching through old maps hidden behind a bookshelf, she discovered a narrow compartment built into the wall.
Inside lay a dusty wooden chest.
Its lock had never been broken.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
There were dozens of letters.
Every one of them had been written by Sheikh Rashid.
But none were addressed to anyone inside the kingdom.
The recipient was simply signed...
"The Falcon."
Leila frowned.
She had never heard that name before.
She unfolded the first letter.
Her heartbeat nearly stopped.
"Once the royal family is eliminated, the throne will be mine. As promised, your payment will arrive after the child is found."
The child.
She realized with horror...
They had been hunting her since the night she disappeared.
Letter after letter revealed the truth.
Sheikh Rashid had never acted alone.
Someone richer...
Someone more powerful...
Someone who had never shown his face...
Had financed the entire betrayal.
Leila quickly searched for the final letter.
It had been written only six months earlier.
"The girl is still alive. The horse remains the only witness. If either survives, our secret dies with us."
Her blood ran cold.
"The Falcon" already knew she was alive.
Suddenly...
The palace lights went out.
Every candle.
Every lantern.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then...
A deafening explosion shook the palace walls.
Servants screamed.
Glass shattered across the floor.
Outside, flames rose into the night sky.
"The stables!"
Leila sprinted toward the window.
Her heart sank.
The black stallion's stable was burning.
May you like
Someone wasn't trying to kill a horse.
Someone was trying to erase the last witness forever.
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