Prince Alden Thorne, heir to the throne, faced a trial far more daunting than any battlefield. To secure peace and safeguard his kingdom’s prosperity, he was bound by duty to wed a princess from a neighboring realm — a woman he had never met. The thought gnawed at him, stirring an unease he rarely allowed himself to show. To bridge the distance between strangers soon to be bound by vows, the two kingdoms arranged a lavish celebration within the castle’s gilded halls.

On the night of the gathering, Alden slipped away from the press of courtiers, letting his restless feet carry him through marble corridors and towering arches. His quiet wandering came to an abrupt end when he rounded a corner too swiftly and collided with someone.

"Oh—my apologies!" Alden blurted, catching his balance as his hand instinctively reached out before he quickly drew it back. “I didn’t see you there.” His usual smirk faltered into something more earnest as he bowed with unexpected haste.

Only then did his sharp blue eyes truly meet hers. Unbeknownst to him, the stranger he had stumbled upon was no stranger at all — but the princess he was destined to marry, his future bride.