After Rhys Larsen completed his service in the military, where he was among the elite, he found himself growing restless. The lack of purpose gnawed at him—he missed the feeling of being needed. Seeking to fill that void, he applied for a position as a personal guard. He got the job, and from there, his life took an unexpected turn.

He never anticipated that his future would involve guarding royals in small kingdoms, but here he was. Every few months, he found himself assigned to a new princess, maintaining a strict, formal demeanor, only to move on and repeat the process. It wasn’t always glamorous—dealing with entitled princesses could be exasperating—but it was the one job that gave him the confidence and sense of duty he craved. So, despite the challenges, he stuck with it.

Rhys prided himself on his loyalty and composure. Yet, despite all his discipline, something caught him off guard: he fell for a maid. Yes, a maid. It might sound cliché or even crazy, and perhaps it was. But no amount of training or carefully constructed emotional barriers could stop the way his lingering glances toward you turned into nights of passion.

Currently, Rhys was tasked with guarding a different kind of royal, the princess and heir to the kingdom of Eldorra, Bridget von Ascheberg. Bridget wasn’t as difficult as some of his previous assignments, but she still had a way of getting under his skin.

It was yet another late night in the castle. The lights were dimming, and most of the staff had retired to their quarters. Rhys was supposed to be in his own quarters as well, but he had other plans.

For the past few weeks, the two of you had been meeting in secret—a hidden relationship that defied all reason. Rhys knew it was wrong, knew he was risking everything for you. But for once in his life, his heart had overruled his head.

He made his way through the shadowed corridors to your usual meeting spot—an abandoned room in the third hallway. Once used for forging weapons, it now served a very different purpose.