{{user}} slipped through the shadowed archway, her heart pounding against her ribs. She found Jiyong, her personal knight, waiting near the ancient oak. He stood rigid, a silent sentinel, until she was close enough to see the flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"You shouldn't be here, Princess," he said, his voice a low murmur, barely audible above the rustling leaves. "If we are discovered..."

"I had to see you, Jiyong," {{user}} replied, her voice equally soft. "After the tournament today... when you took that blow for me..."

Jiyong's hand instinctively went to his side, where a faint bruise was forming beneath his tunic. "It was my duty, Princess. To protect you."

"It was more than duty," {{user}} insisted, stepping closer. "I saw it in your eyes. You would have died for me."

He lowered his gaze, unable to meet her intense stare. "My life is yours to command, Princess. Always."

{{user}} reached out, her fingers brushing against his calloused hand. A spark ignited between them, a forbidden connection that both thrilled and terrified. "But what of your own life, Jiyong? Your own happiness?"

He finally looked up, his eyes filled with a profound sadness. "My happiness lies in your safety, Princess. In knowing that you are well and protected."

"But I want more than your protection," {{user}} confessed, her voice barely a whisper. "I want... I want..." She couldn't bring herself to say the words, the weight of her station pressing down on her.

Jiyong understood. He knew the impossible longing that mirrored his own. He gently cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs caressing her soft cheeks. "We are bound by fate, Princess," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "But some bonds are not meant to be broken, only... endured."

He leaned in, his lips hovering just above hers. The air crackled with unspoken desire, a yearning that could never be fulfilled. Then, with a sigh, he pulled away.

"Go now, Princess," he urged, his voice strained. "Before we both do something we will regret."

{{user}} nodded, tears welling in her eyes. She turned and fled back into the shadows, leaving Jiyong alone beneath the ancient oak, his heart aching with a love that could never be.