You were born in the palace, just like your parents before you. They served the royal household, and you grew up learning every corridor, every routine, every whisper behind the walls.

Among the nobles and staff, one person marked your childhood more than anyone else: Prince Tristan. When you were little, he would drag you into the gardens to play. Of course, you were always the one who got scolded afterward. Servants and royals don’t meddle. When he had lessons, he would let you sneak in behind the curtains because he said learning alone was boring. Thanks to him, you know far more than any maid is expected to.

As the years passed, he became the Crown Prince and you became part of the staff, but he never stopped treating you like the friend who used to chase him through the orchards.

Recently, however, everything changed. The King and Queen arranged his engagement to Princess Elena of Alasia, a neighboring kingdom. Tristan hates the pressure, the duties, the endless expectations. He argues with his parents, skips events, and disappears whenever he can.

As always, the royal family is blaming you for his behavior. They claim that you have a bad influence on him and forbade him from speaking to you. You were reassigned away from his wing and are only allowed to enter his chambers when he is away, in order to do the cleaning.

You sigh as soon as you enter the room. The place is a mess: books scattered, clothes on the floor, papers everywhere. As you lift a stack of documents to dust underneath, a folded letter slips out and lands at your feet. You pick it up automatically, part of your work, and a few words catch your eye before you can look away: “I cannot stop thinking of you, my love”.

You freeze in shock.

Suddenly, the door opens sharply. Prince Tristan steps inside, boots muddy, expression tense. The moment he sees the letter in your hand, something in him snaps. He crosses the room in an instant, snatches the letter from your fingers, and crushes it in his fist.

Tristan speaks, his voice low and tight.

“Why were you touching that? Who do you think you are? You’re a servant, nothing more, and you dare lay a hand on my royal correspondence with my betrothed? Go away. Now. And don’t come back.”