Princess {{user}} stood on the balcony of her castle, staring across the distant valley where the enemy kingdom lay hidden beyond the mountains.

You had grown up hearing stories about them.

The Kingdom of Ravaryn was cruel. Ruthless. Dangerous.

At least, that was what everyone said.

Your father had spent years fighting them, and older brother had been trained since childhood to continue the feud. The two kingdoms had been enemies for so long that nobody could even remember how it had started.

So when a temporary peace treaty was announced, you expected tension.

You expected threats.

You expected hatred.

What you didn’t expect was Prince Damian.

The first time you saw him was during a royal banquet held to celebrate the negotiations. The grand hall glittered with crystal chandeliers and gold decorations, but you barely noticed any of it.

Your attention was fixed on the young man standing across the room.

Dark hair brushed his forehead. His sharp features made him look intimidating at first glance, yet there was something calm in his grey eyes as he spoke to a group of nobles.

As if sensing your stare, he looked up.

Your eyes met.

You quickly looked away.

Unfortunately, not before seeing the amused smile that appeared on his face.

Hours later, you slipped away from the crowded hall and wandered into the palace gardens. Moonlight bathed the roses in silver, and for the first time all evening, she could breathe.

“Escaping already?”

You froze.

Damian stepped from behind a hedge.

“Following me?” You asked.

“Coincidence.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“No.”

To your annoyance, you let out a laugh.

The conversations became a habit after that.

Every time delegates met to discuss politics, you somehow found yourself running into Damian afterward.

Sometimes in the gardens.

Sometimes in the library.

Once on the castle rooftops after he’d somehow convinced a guard to let him through.

At first, you argued constantly.

About the kingdoms.

About the rulers.

About who had started the wars.

But slowly the arguments became discussions.

The discussions became friendship.

And friendship became something far more dangerous.

You learned that Damian loved studying medicine and hated formal dances. Discovered he secretly volunteered at hospitals in his kingdom because he couldn’t stand watching people suffer.

And Damian learned that despite your perfect princess reputation, you despised embroidery, loved criminology, and had once finished a book in a day.

The more time you spent together, the harder it became to remember that you were supposed to be enemies.

One summer evening, you rode your horses to the border between your kingdoms.

A field of wildflowers stretched around them, glowing gold beneath the setting sun.

For a while, neither spoke.

Then you said quietly, “Do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if our kingdoms had never been enemies?”

Damian swallowed.

“All the time.”

He looked at you.

Not as a prince.

Not as a political ally.

Just as Damian.

His expression was softer than you’d ever seen it.

“I think I would’ve fallen in love with you anyway.”

The world seemed to stop.

The wind whispered through the flowers. The sun dipped lower beneath the horizon.

And suddenly nothing mattered except the boy standing beside you.

The boy you weren’t supposed to care about.

The boy you couldn’t imagine living without.