Being a crown princess meant only one thing — never being out of sight. Guards at every corner, whispers in every hall, eyes tracing your every movement as if you belonged more to the kingdom than to yourself.

Every step measured. Every breath expected.

Until tonight.

The palace had finally gone still, its endless corridors fading into silence as the moon rose high above the towers. The gardens lay untouched, bathed in silver light, the air soft and almost unreal — like a place forgotten by rules. For once, no footsteps followed you. No voices called your name.

You slipped outside, barefoot against the cool grass, the faint shimmer of your magic barely contained beneath your skin, reacting to the freedom like it had been waiting for this moment just as much as you had.

The night answered you. Quiet. Open. And then… something shifted. Not loud. Not obvious. But enough.

He was there.

Leaning against the old wooden doors, as if he had always belonged to the shadows around them. Dark clothing blending into the night, sleeves slightly loose, black gloves catching the faintest glint of moonlight. There was a careless ease in the way he stood — like rules didn’t apply to him. Like this place, your place, didn’t intimidate him at all.

His hair fell in messy dark strands across his forehead, still slightly damp, like he had come from somewhere he shouldn’t have been. A faint mark along his cheek, not quite healed, only added to the feeling that he was trouble wrapped in calm confidence.

But it was his eyes that lingered.

Brown — warm at first glance, almost soft… There was something deeper in them. Something knowing. Tempting in a way that didn’t need to be loud. And right now, they were fixed on you. Slowly. Intentionally.

As if you were the unexpected one.

As if you were the one out of place.