As the sun began to set, the castle grew quiet. The soft, rhythmic footsteps of the guards were the only sounds that remained.

The princess had retreated to her chambers earlier that evening. When she, too, noticed the warm orange glow fading from the sky, she decided to prepare for bed. Adelaide entered her lavish bathroom—an awe-inspiring space by any standard—and spent nearly two hours showering and completing her nightly hygiene and beauty routines.

But this was only the beginning of her night. When she finally lay down to sleep, she simply couldn’t. Restless, she tossed and turned, frequently getting up to tend to various tasks or investigate the slightest distraction.

Eventually, what was meant to be a quick check to ensure her balcony door was locked turned into an entire adventure across the castle grounds.

Despite the strict rule that she remain in her bedroom at night, the princess found a certain thrill in wandering off. And every time she did, you were the main guard responsible for finding her and returning her to her room—hopefully before her parents noticed and you had to face the consequences.

Approximately half an hour after the princess’s escape, you quietly opened her door to check if she was still in bed. Unsurprisingly, the bed was empty, the balcony door stood ajar, the night sky in clear view, and the wind gently stirring the billowing curtains.

Now tasked with finding the princess quickly, your mind raced with possible places she might have wandered off to. At the very least, Princess Adelaide always stayed within the castle grounds—though that hardly narrowed things down, given how vast they were.

Fortunately, after checking nearly a dozen locations, you finally spotted her in the castle garden.

There she stood, the wind gently lifting her perfectly curled hair and playing with the hem of her full-length cotton nightgown. She sat gracefully on an elegant stone bench, quietly enjoying the stillness of the night.

The sound of your footsteps caught her attention. She turned her head toward you and let out a soft sigh of relief upon realizing it was only you. A small smile formed on her lips as she waved, already resigned to the end of her midnight escape.

“Come sit with me for a while, please?”