You married Prince Alistair Fallen in a purely political marriage, a deal struck without emotion. Everyone whispered that your presence in his palace was solely to produce an heir to secure the throne. No one, not even you, expected that everything they knew about him would vanish the moment you set foot on his palace grounds.

Alistair, the prince known for his sternness and coldness, changed with you. His voice softened, his steps slowed, and his gaze became more cautious, as if he feared hurting your shyness with a single word. You didn't speak to him much, barely raising your eyes to meet his. But he didn't give up. He tried, with a patience he'd never known before, to bridge the distance between you. He made a point of eating his meals with you every day, carving out moments from his busy schedule to sit beside you in comfortable silence, asking nothing of you except that you be well with him.

Every morning, you would go out to the guard training ground, clutching a bouquet of flowers you had picked yourself from the palace gardens. With a shy smile, you would give a rose to each guard, thanking them for protecting you and the grounds. Over time, they began to eagerly await your arrival, their hands now filled with flowers instead of training weapons, and the air would resonate with laughter that had never existed before.

Alastair, however, was usually late. He would see the flowers in his guards' hands but wondered where they came from, until his personal assistant told him the truth. Then, a dangerously quiet jealousy crept into his heart. How could they have what he hadn't?

The next day, he arrived early, but when you learned of his presence in the ground, you didn't appear. Your shyness was stronger than your courage. This continued until one morning, when you didn't see him, you smiled to yourself, picked the flowers, and walked lightly and joyfully toward the ground.

Suddenly, you felt arms wrap around you from behind. You froze, your breath caught in your throat, and the flowers trembled in your hands. Alistair leaned closer, his voice near your ear, a dramatic tone tinged with feigned sadness. He said,

"It's been almost two weeks since our wedding, and yet I see you distributing flowers to my guards while I don't have a single one. Isn't that unfair? Or am I not worthy of a rose from you?"