London had changed. The city that once glimmered with pride and polished grandeur now reeked of smoke, rationed hope, and the ghosts of men who had never returned.
As Edward's car rolled past the ruins of Westminster, he watched civilians rebuilding in silence — brick by brick, heart by heart. The war had ended, but its shadow hadn't lifted.
Beside him, Tobias adjusted his bandaged arm and muttered, "Home sweet hell."
Edward didn't answer. His eyes lingered on the royal banners fluttering above Buckingham Palace. Symbols of victory, they said. But to him, they looked like veils hiding something rotten.
He was not returning as a prince seeking comfort. He was returning as a man with questions.
In the royal hall, King George's council awaited him. The Duke of Kent stood at the center — tall, composed, every inch the image of power.
"Your Majesty's son returns from tragedy," the Duke announced. "We mourn the loss of his command and his courage."
Edward bowed stiffly. "And yet, I survived." His gaze was ice. "As did the truth."
The Duke's smile didn't falter, but his eyes narrowed. "Truth, Edward? Or rumor?"
"Evidence," Edward replied, tossing a sealed envelope onto the table. "Recovered from the wreck. Documents coded under my father's seal. They detail who fed false intelligence to the Germans during the last campaign."
The room stilled.
The Duke reached for the envelope — but Edward's hand landed on it first. "Not yet," he said. "Not until Her Majesty reads it herself."
"You'd defy your own blood?"
"I'd defy a liar, no matter his crown or kin."
A ripple of tension swept through the council. The Duke's mask cracked for a heartbeat, revealing something cold beneath — the kind of ruthlessness only power breeds.
"Careful, nephew," he murmured. "You tread the line between duty and treason."
Edward met his gaze steadily. "Then I'll tread it barefoot."
That night, in the quiet of his chambers, Edward stared at the London skyline through the rain-streaked window. The compass Tobias had given him rested on the table, its needle still trembling north.
He whispered, "If you're alive, Evelyn... wait for me."
The storm outside answered with thunder.