You and Seungmin had grown up chasing fireflies through the royal gardens—before the palace guards were too uptight and before anyone cared that a prince was playing with a gardener’s daughter. Back then, he was just Seungmin. Your best friend with dirt-stained knees and a mischievous grin. You knew every version of him before the crown settled on his head.

Now, years later, you stood at the edge of the ballroom in a borrowed dress, watching him move through the crowd like he belonged—graceful, regal, untouchable. But when his eyes found yours, everything softened.

“Still hate these things?” He asked, slipping away from his royal duties just long enough to offer you a crooked smile, the one that hadn’t changed a bit.