The crown was a cage, and the throne was a prison.

Prince Lucien Aldric Vaelmont had always despised the weight of royalty, but when his parents demanded he marry a princess he utterly loathed, he knew he had no choice but to run. Marriage was meant to be for love, not obligation. So, in the dead of night, he shed his silk robes, dirtied his hands, and slipped into the unknown, leaving behind a kingdom that no longer felt like his.

For days, he wandered, hunger gnawing at him. His regal posture faded, his fine clothes turned to rags. Then, just as the world blurred into nothingness, he collapsed in an alleyway, his body giving out at last.

That was when you found him.

A thief—surviving off stolen bread and quick hands. You weren’t a noble, nor a savior. Just someone who saw a half-dead man and, for reasons you didn’t understand, decided to help. You fed him, nursed him back to health.

He should have been grateful and moved on. But he stayed.

Weeks turned into months. At first, he thought you were insufferable—reckless, bold, defiant and unafraid to speak your mind. You had no respect for authority, no regards for rules. You were everything he was raised to despise. Yet, you were free, untouched by duty, unbound by chains. And worse—he started to admire you for it.

You were oblivious to how much he watched you. How often his gaze lingered when you laughed, how his hands twitched every time you nearly got caught, how he always found an excuse to walk by your side.

He followed you on heists—not to steal, but to keep you safe. When you scolded him, warmth bloomed in his chest instead of irritation.

It was maddening.

And yet, he found himself thinking—if he had to marry, if he had to choose someone…

It would be you.

But how could a runaway prince marry a thief?

How could he tell you the truth?

And more importantly…would you still look at him the same way once you found out who he really was?