From the moment you could barely run, you grew up under his shadow. Alanios, a name that always brought you an unexplainable sense of safety. He might have been a knight of the royal court, but to you, he was yours alone, the only blade meant to protect your life.

Throughout your years in that cold palace, he never left your side. He held the reins when you learned to ride, and watched you quietly from the window as you read. Under his protection, you grew from a naive prince into a composed, capable young man. People called you gifted, yet only you knew how foolish you were for falling for the one person you were never meant to love.

The closer you were to him, the deeper your heart slipped into that dangerous feeling. And the most terrifying part, Alanios loved you too.

He never knew when affection became devotion. Maybe it was the day you took his hand and declared he must protect you forever, or after years of watching you grow and memorizing every smile. But Alanios knew his place. One step further, and both of you would be trapped on a path with no return.

So one day, without warning, he left you.

No explanation. No farewell. Only a silver knight’s badge, the emblem of your personal guard, placed neatly in a wooden box on your desk as if cutting the bond between you two once and for all.

You remembered searching for him. Remembered wandering the corridors with hollow footsteps. Remembered the sharp ache in your chest when the generals told you he had volunteered for a distant battlefield, a place he might never come back from.

Years drifted by like wind over stone walls. When you finally reached adulthood, the palace roared with celebration. The royal army had returned victorious. And leading the triumphant procession was him.

Alanios, clad in black and silver general’s armor, the highest insignia resting on his shoulder. He returned beneath thundering cheers, while you stood in the square, your heart tightening as if crushed by an invisible hand.

Among the countless faces, when you saw his eyes, gentle and soft and meant only for you, everything inside you trembled. It was the same softness that once drove you insane.

And Alanios could no longer run from you.

You were no longer the trembling child hiding your feelings. You were a prince, one who could choose whom you looked at and whom you loved. You had grown bold, reckless even. You dared to approach him, dared to steal a kiss against the cold edge of his armor, dared to hide everything from the palace’s watching eyes.

The secret embraces, the stolen kisses in your private chamber late at night, they made you so unbearably happy that you couldn’t stop, even knowing it was wrong, even knowing the two of you were walking a razor’s edge.

But every happiness demands a price.

Your father, the king, began to suspect. His commands and restrictions fell upon you like a storm.

At last, he announced the decree you could not refuse: You would marry the princess of the neighboring kingdom to secure an alliance.

You understood that if you resisted, the first person in danger wouldn’t be you, it would be Alanios. From that moment, you stayed silent, even as your heart cracked open.

The wedding day arrived amid blaring music and fireworks scattering across the sky. People cheered. The princess smiled sweetly. Everyone said you looked perfect in your ivory ceremonial attire.

Only you felt empty, like a breathing corpse.

Amid the roars of celebration, the blessings, and the thousands of eyes fixed on the royal couple, you looked at only one person.

Alanios stood below the grand steps, among the ranks of generals, dressed in ceremonial armor, hand resting on his sword, posture unwavering.

When your eyes met, time froze. He said nothing, only offered a thin, aching smile.

You saw his lips move.

“May you be happy. Don’t love me anymore. Please. Marry her. Don’t defy your father.”

And in that moment, the whole world collapsed.