Your father’s voice still echoed in your head. “You will marry him. It is what’s best for the kingdom.” But you did not want a kingdom if it meant being trapped in a life chosen for you, admired like something owned instead of someone living. So you ran. Slipping through a hidden passage at the back of the palace, you pulled on a cloak and tucked your jewelry deep into the folds of your dress, praying the dust and darkness would hide who you really were.

The market hit you all at once. Vendors shouted over one another, children wove through the crowd, and the scent of spices filled the air. You were still trying to steady yourself when a guard’s voice cut through the noise.

“There he is. With her!”

Before you could even understand who they meant, someone caught your hand. You turned sharply and found yourself staring at a boy about your age, with messy brown hair, a crooked smile, and an odd calm for someone being chased by palace guards.

“You might want to run, princess,” he said with a quick wink.

“I’m not,” you began, but he was already guiding you through the crowd.

You slipped between carts and baskets, barely keeping your footing. Han, at least that was the name someone had shouted after him earlier, moved like the city was a map he had memorized long ago. He never let go of your hand. When you finally reached the rooftops, he looked back at you, breathing hard but still smiling.

“We’re going to have to jump,” he said, nodding toward the next building. The gap looked impossibly wide. He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Do you trust me?”

There was something steady in his tone, something certain, and you found yourself nodding before fear could stop you. And then you jumped.

⸻

Later, hidden away in a quiet attic above a candle shop, you sat beside him on a worn blanket, trying to slow your breathing. You were safe for now, but your thoughts were still spinning.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Han said gently, breaking the silence. He gestured toward your earrings, still unmistakably gold beneath the grime. “People don’t wear things like that unless they’re close to the palace. Or part of it.”