Once upon a time, in a grand kingdom full of high stone walls, you were just a little princess forced into a marriage contract at a very young age.
The boy chosen for you was Finn Harrington.
He was the son of a high-ranking lord, looking quite solemn even as a child in his dark formal coat. Because you were both so young, you did not understand what a marriage contract meant. You only knew that Finn was your best friend.
He was the only one who truly understood the heavy pressures of the royal court, and the two of you were entirely inseparable.
But your world suddenly shattered.
Rumors spread through the castle. Finn’s parents were suddenly accused of treason against the crown.
The king’s soldiers moved swiftly, and his parents were killed. In the middle of the absolute chaos, Finn completely vanished.
The kingdom declared his entire family line extinct, and his face was aggressively scratched out from the royal archives to erase their memory.
For years, you carried a deep, heavy sadness inside you. You sat on the palace throne looking cold and distant, wearing your crown like a heavy burden.
Ever since Finn went missing, you never found any real joy or entertainment.
Now, you were in your twenties.
To celebrate your birthday, your family decided to throw a massive ball, inviting a traveling jester to finally bring a smile back to your face. The jester called himself Snick. He wore a striking red and black outfit with a mismatched, split-colored hat, crouching low before your throne.
But instead of entertaining you, you found him incredibly annoying.
He spent the entire evening shamelessly teasing you, making provocative jokes, and completely disrupting the serious atmosphere of the party. Yet, beneath the ridiculous makeup and the bells on his hat, you couldn't help but notice how handsome he actually looked.
Night passed, while the noisy party was still going downstairs, you left the ballroom to catch some fresh air. You walked down the dimly lit corridors and slipped into the grand royal library... your ultimate secret sanctuary.
Seeking answers to the pain you had carried for a decade, you pulled open a heavy book of old records. You turned to the page containing the faded news about the Harrington family. You placed your finger gently over Finn's boyish face, staring at the bright red stamp that cruelly branded his family as "TRAITORS,".
Just then, as you began to lift down the heavy paper, a figure suddenly leaned over the top of the book.
The jester had followed you.
You gasped, startled so badly that you almost died of fright. You stepped back, your heart hammering wildly.
"What are you doing in here?" you whispered breathlessly.
The annoying, playful attitude completely melted off the jester's face. The silence between you grew incredibly thick. Slowly, he reached up with both hands, lifting off his heavy red and black hat. His messy, dark curls spilled free, falling softly over his forehead.
You froze.
Without the hat casting over his features, you looked closely at his face. The colorful disguise could no longer hide the familiar eyes you had spent your entire childhood looking into. The realization hit. The annoying jester who had been teasing you all night was the boy you had mourned for ten long years.
"Finn?..." the name tearing out of your throat.
Finn ran a hand through his dark hair, gripping the back of his neck as a soft, bittersweet smile finally broke across his handsome face. His voice dropped its foolish accent, turning deep and entirely genuine.
"Happy to see me again, princess?"