In the days that followed his return to the Kingdom of Dawn…
Murad did not rush toward meetings or political files as expected.
Instead—
he chose something different.
He chose… to stay.
In the palace.
With his family.
On one quiet morning…
Murad was sitting in the royal garden, with no files in front of him… no phone.
Just a warm cup of coffee… and the sound of small footsteps rushing toward him.
"Murad!"
He lifted his gaze—
to find Leon running toward him with clear excitement.
Murad smiled, this time without hesitation, and reached out to catch him before he crashed into him.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Leon, slightly out of breath:
"Mom said you're staying here today… is that true?"
Murad looked at him for a moment…
then simply said:
"Yes."
The child paused for a second…
then said with childish seriousness:
"Good. Because I've decided you're going to play with me."
Murad laughed—
a light laugh… but genuine.
"You decided? Without asking me?"
Leon shrugged:
"You don't look busy."
Murad paused for a moment…
then said quietly:
"With you… I won't be."
Those days…
were not just rest.
They were… reordering.
Murad spent hours with Leon—
in the garden, in the corridors, even in the playrooms.
He talked with him, laughed, even ran sometimes—
simply… lived.
Queen Roxelina watched from afar…
her gaze carrying a calm that hadn't appeared in a long time.
As for Iris…
she noticed more than anyone else.
It wasn't just that her brother was regaining himself…
he was rebuilding it.
After a few days—
an internal decision was made:
a visit to the city of Belleville.
Not fully official…
but a monitoring visit.
To evaluate what had happened after the "Future Company" project that Murad had launched earlier.
On the morning of the trip…
Murad was not alone.
Iris.
Louis.
And little Prince Leon.
The plane took off quietly…
but inside, the atmosphere was different.
Leon looked out the window excitedly:
"Is this the same city you fixed?"
Murad looked at him…
then said with a faint smile:
"I didn't fix it alone."
Iris added calmly:
"But you started the change."
Murad didn't respond immediately…
he just looked out the window.
When they arrived in Belleville—
the city… was different.
Factories were running.
The roads were cleaner.
People moved with more confidence.
It wasn't a perfect city…
but it was no longer what it had been.
Leon held Murad's hand as he looked around:
"This… feels real."
Murad smiled:
"Because it is."
But—
in a brief moment…
as he stood in front of a street he knew well…
He stopped.
He looked toward a certain corner…
a simple café.
The sound of laughter…
memories.
John.
He said nothing.
But Iris noticed.
She approached him quietly and said:
"This isn't the only place you know here… is it?"
Murad was silent for a moment.
Then said quietly…
"I was here with him."
Iris looked at him without surprise.
Just… interest.
"John?"
He nodded.
Later, they sat away from everyone, on a small balcony overlooking the city.
Iris said calmly:
"You didn't tell me."
Murad gave a faint smile… one that didn't reach his eyes:
"I didn't know how."
Silence.
Then he said:
"It wasn't just a relationship… it was the only thing that wasn't tied to anything else."
Iris:
"And what happened?"
He paused.
Then simply said:
"He disappeared… then ended everything."
She looked at him for a long moment.
"Without a reason?"
Murad:
"Without an explanation."
A short silence.
Then he added:
"And I don't know if he ran from me… or from himself."
Iris moved closer and hugged her brother, saying softly:
"Some people… don't run because they don't care."
She paused.
"…but because they don't know how to stay."
Murad didn't reply.
But her words… stayed.
The next day—
Murad decided to go out with Leon alone.
No heavy protocol.
Just… an uncle and his nephew.
They went to a children's playground in Belleville.
Bright colors.
Loud sounds.
Laughter filling the place.
Leon ran between the games nonstop.
"Murad! Come!"
Murad stood for a moment…
looking around.
Everything… was simple.
No politics.
No pressure.
No decisions.
Just… life.
He approached the swing and gently pushed Leon.
"Higher!"
"Not too much."
"Higher!"
Murad smiled…
and pushed him again.
Leon's laughter filled the air.
And in that moment—
Murad smiled.
A full smile.
Not small.
Not cautious.
But… real.
After a while—
he sat beside Leon on a wooden bench.
The child suddenly said:
"You're sad sometimes."
Murad paused.
Looked at him.
"Do I look like that?"
Leon nodded:
"But today… you're not."
Silence.
Then the child added:
"Because you're playing."
Murad looked ahead…
then said quietly:
"Maybe… because I stopped thinking for a while."
In the evening…
they returned to the palace in Belleville.
The visit wasn't just to monitor progress.
It was… to remind Murad of something important:
That despite everything—
he was still capable of living.
Not just confronting.
In the following days inside Belleville…
the visit was no longer just an inspection tour.
It turned into something Murad hadn't fully expected.
On the first morning, when he stepped into the city streets…
there was no major official announcement.
But—
the news spread.
"Prince Murad is here."
At first…
there were looks.
Then whispers.
Then—
the first person stopped.
A simple man, in work clothes, approached hesitantly…
then said sincerely:
"Your Highness… thank you."
Murad stopped.
Looked at him.
"For what?"
The man smiled faintly… but genuinely:
"For the city not being what it used to be."
A short silence.
Then…
another person stepped forward.
Then another.
It wasn't chaos.
And it wasn't a demonstration.
It was… quiet appreciation.
A woman said:
"My son works now in the factory you opened."
A young man added:
"We didn't believe anything would change… until it did."
A small child simply…
waved at him.
Murad wasn't used to this kind of reception.
In palaces—
respect is imposed.
Here—
it was different.
It was… real.
He looked around for a moment…
then said quietly, as if to himself:
"This… wasn't the goal."
Iris, standing beside him, replied calmly:
"But it's the result."
Later that day…
Murad went to the headquarters of the "Future Company" project.
The building was modern, yet simple…
focused on work more than appearance.
Inside—
he was greeted by the man he had previously appointed to manage the project:
Elias Raymond.
Elias stood as soon as he entered.
"Your Highness."
Murad nodded:
"How are things going?"
Elias didn't give a general answer.
He opened the files immediately:
"Operational capacity has increased by 40% over the past months."
"Employment has nearly doubled."
"And most importantly… stability is beginning to appear in the most affected neighborhoods."
Murad listened silently.
Then said:
"And the problems?"
Elias didn't hesitate:
"Infrastructure still needs development… and some investors remain hesitant."
Murad smiled faintly:
"That means we're not done yet."
Elias:
"We haven't truly started yet."
They exchanged a brief look—
mutual understanding without many words.
After the meeting…
Murad stood before a large window overlooking part of the city.
Factories.
Roads.
People.
Everything moving.
Then he said quietly:
"We have an opportunity."
Iris approached:
"To do what?"
Murad didn't turn immediately.
Then said:
"To take Belleville… from recovery… to competition."
That same evening—
a small meeting was held.
Limited attendance:
Iris.
Louis.
Elias.
And a small team of advisors.
Murad placed a new file on the table.
"A new project."
He opened it.
Images.
Blueprints.
Preliminary studies.
Then said clearly:
"A luxury car factory."
A brief silence fell.
Elias looked up:
"In Belleville?"
Murad:
"Yes."
Louis intervened calmly:
"This is a massive project… requiring major investments, advanced technologies, and a highly competitive market."
Murad nodded:
"I know."
Then added:
"And that's why… we'll build it here."
Iris looked at him with interest:
"Why Belleville specifically?"
Murad finally turned to them:
"Because the city doesn't just need jobs…"
He paused.
"…it needs a new identity."
He opened another page.
"An industrial brand… that carries its name beyond its borders."
Elias began to understand:
"A brand tied to the kingdom?"
Murad:
"Tied to its future."
Silence.
Then he said clearly:
"It will be built under the name—
Seler Luxury Automobiles."
This time, the silence was different.
Not doubt.
But… realization.
Louis said calmly:
"This will place your name directly in the international market."
Murad:
"Not my name… the result."
Iris smiled slightly:
"But the name will precede the result."
Murad didn't deny it.
He simply said:
"Then we must make the result worthy of the name."
Outside…
Belleville was living an ordinary day.
But inside that meeting—
a new phase had begun.
Not just rebuilding a city…
but—
creating a place for it in the world.