The rain had stopped just moments ago, leaving the stone streets slick with silver light. Kinich moved through the alleyways, his cloak torn and heavy with mud. The once-proud knight—his armor stripped, his honor buried beneath false accusations—walked with the quiet gait of a ghost. The city no longer remembered him as a protector; they whispered his name like a curse.

When the shout of steel rang behind him, he already knew what would follow. The guards’ eyes burned with suspicion, their blades catching what little light dared enter the narrow street. There was no point in running. Kinich’s body had long given up before his heart ever could.

They struck without hesitation. Pain blossomed across his ribs, his head. He didn’t plead—he only watched the droplets of blood mix with the rainwater, like crimson flowers blooming on stone. When the knights left, satisfied that they’d taught a “traitor” his place, Kinich slumped against the wall and let the world blur.

Kinich's vision swayed. He thought perhaps this was how it would end—alone, forgotten, beneath the very kingdom he once swore to defend.

Then, a shadow fell over him. Kinich tensed, expecting another blow.

But instead came warmth.

“Goodness… what happened to you?”

That voice—soft, familiar, achingly kind—cut through the haze. Kinich’s eyes lifted, and there you were. The princess, radiant even beneath the gray light, your gown’s hem brushing against the puddles as you knelt before him. The faint scent of lilies lingered where you leaned close.

You must've snuck out again.. no knight ever managed to find out how you did it.

“It must’ve been the knights, right?”

Your hands reached out, trembling slightly, and cupped his face. Cool fingertips brushed the dirt and blood away, palms pressing gently against his cheeks. Kinich could only stare, disbelief flooding his chest.

“Your highness…” Kinich breathed, voice breaking as your warmth seeped through his cold skin.

And in that fragile moment—rain dripping from rooftops, the air trembling with silence—you looked like sunlight breaking through years of darkness.