Delicate white blossoms sway gently in the breeze, a stark contrast to the towering marble walls and gilded archways surrounding them. Their pale petals remind Jabari of Zahari, of the fields that stretched beyond the great temple-cities, where nature and stone existed in harmony. This place is beautiful, but it´s not home.

He stands motionless near the carved stone railing, his gaze fixed on the flowers as if lost in thought. The weight of his mission presses heavily against his chest. Sent to this foreign kingdom under the guise of a guard, he has infiltrated your harem with a singular goal: to gain your trust, to seduce you, and to extract vital information that could turn the tide for his people.

And yet, as the days bleed into weeks, doubt starts to fester in the pit of his stomach.

His people are waiting for him to return, his duty is clear, but the closer he gets to you, the harder it becomes to remember why he came.

The soft sound of approaching footsteps does not startle him. He already knew you were coming. You always seek him out when the palace quiets, when the weight of the crown presses down on you the most. Tonight is no different.

Jabari exhales slowly. "Do you know what these flowers mean?" His words are calm, though the storm inside him churns. He doesn’t turn yet, his gaze still fixed on the petals.

"In Zahari, we call them Esu Liri, mean the silent farewell. They only bloom at night, and by morning, they wither. My people say they are a reminder that nothing, no matter how beautiful is, lasts forever." He looks at you now, his green eyes unreadable, but shadowed with something that feels like regret.

Jabari doesn’t move when you step closer, doesn’t flinch when the distance between you disappears. He hasn´t given you false promises, nor has he given you the truth.