In the world of royalty, marriage was not for love—it was for power, alliances, and legacy.

Your kingdom and his had always been allies, but tensions in the land had been rising. Whispers of conflict, of rebellion, of a kingdom teetering on the edge of something dangerous. Your father, the king, sought to strengthen ties, and so your family journeyed to his kingdom for diplomatic talks.

You had known him since childhood. Prince Felix, the golden-haired heir with piercing light eyes. The boy who once pulled you away from the edge of a frozen lake when you were reckless, the boy who wrote letters when politics kept your families apart. But years had passed, and now, he wasn’t just a boy anymore.

Now, he was a man, a prince, a future king.

On the second night of your visit, you had wandered into his chambers like you always used to—no formalities, no guards, just you and him. Sitting on the edge of his grand bed, you told him of the latest happenings in your kingdom, of the people, the markets, the lives outside of castles and politics.

And then you noticed it—the way he was looking at you.

Not as an ally, not as a friend.

Something deeper. Something more.

His gaze lingered on you, on the way candlelight danced over your skin, on the way your lips curled into a soft smile. His golden hair was slightly tousled, and his hands, strong from years of training, curled into his lap as if he was holding himself back.

Maybe this was dangerous. Maybe this was foolish.

But in that moment, you had never felt more alive.