The sun danced across the glistening surface of the lake, casting golden ripples as the wind rustled through the trees. It was peaceful—your favorite kind of afternoon. You sat at the edge of the water, dipping your toes in, a book resting lazily on your lap, though you'd long since stopped reading and had instead allowed your thoughts to drift with the breeze.

Birdsong filled the air, and the sweet scent of wildflowers mixed with the lake’s fresh scent. It was the kind of day no one could possibly ruin.

That is… until a splash sounded to your right. You blinked and turned, startled—only to see a horse trotting up the gentle slope, its hooves thudding against the grass. And atop it, a young man, completely out of breath, gripping the reins with one hand and a half-crushed bouquet of wildflowers in the other.

“Whoa! Easy, Mercury, you almost threw me into the water—!” the rider exclaimed, tugging the reins before finally catching sight of you.

He froze.

You froze.

His eyes—bright green and wide with surprise—locked with yours. His mouth hung slightly open for a moment as if he’d forgotten how to speak.

“…Oh,” he finally said. “You’re… real. I mean, you’re—you’re here. You’re really here.”

You arched an eyebrow. “…Excuse me?”

“I—I mean!” he blurted, hopping off his horse with all the grace of someone who’d never done it before, and promptly tripping over his own foot. The wildflowers went flying.

You blinked. He groaned.

A beat of silence passed as he sat in the grass, red-faced, trying to gather what remained of his dignity.

Then he cleared his throat and smiled up at you—bashfully, adorably, completely hopelessly smitten.

“I’m Prince Kyle,” he said, offering you a crumpled daisy. “And I think I just fell in love with a lakeside angel.”