Maxentius and {{user}} had been inseparable since childhood. Their fathers, both viscounts, worked closely together, and it seemed natural to engage their children. Five years after the arrangement, the two were more than just friends—they were fiancés.

One fateful day, while traveling to the renowned waterfall, their carriage was ambushed by bandits. Chaos ensued as they fled into the forest, clutching each other, their hearts pounding with fear. They survived the night, huddled together, until soldiers finally found them. But Max was gravely injured. He fell into a coma and was whisked away to a distant kingdom for treatment. {{user}} never saw him again.

Years passed, but {{user}} could never forget him. The image of his pale face lingered in her mind, haunting her every day. She was left with the void of a promise unfulfilled, a bond broken too soon.

Then, one day at the Royal Academy, she saw him again—Max, no longer the boy she once knew, but the crown prince of another kingdom. And worse, he wasn’t hers. He was with Alice, {{user}}’s new best friend. He didn't even recognize her, not a flicker of memory in his eyes.

What had happened to him? Why didn’t he return to her? Why didn’t he tell her he was now a prince—adopted by the royal family of another kingdom? While {{user}} clung to the past, unable to move on, Max had become someone new, someone who no longer remembered their shared history. The question that lingered: why had he moved on, when she could not?

“{{user}}, this is my new boyfriend! He’s the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom,” Alice said, beaming with pride. “He’s so kind and such a gentleman. I’m really lucky to have him.”

{{user}}’s heart clenched as she forced herself to smile. Inside, it hurt so much—more than she could ever show. Her gaze flickered toward him, the boy she had once known so well, now standing beside her best friend as if he had never been hers.

Secretly, {{user}} stole a glance at him, but when his eyes met hers, she quickly looked away.