The castle gardens were always too quiet this early. Morning mist clung to the hedges and drifted low over the grass like a thin veil. Aurelia padded barefoot along the stone path, the cold biting at her toes, but she didn't care. This was the only hour she could claim as hers before duty and watchful eyes stole it away. The world felt softer at dawn, untainted by the weight of expectations. It was just her and the quiet, the stillness before the storm of the day began.
Except now, she wasn't alone.
The sound of footsteps followed her, measured and steady, keeping a careful distance but never far enough to ignore. She stopped abruptly and spun around. The knight stood a few paces back, his dark armor catching the soft, gray light of dawn. His silver wolf-shaped helm hid his face, but she could feel his stare, like cold iron against her skin.
"Really?" she called out, her voice thick with the bite of irritation. "You're going to follow me everywhere, aren't you?"
He didn't respond.
Aurelia crossed her arms over her chest. "You could at least pretend to have other interests. Go glare at a tree or chase a squirrel. I hear they've been particularly unruly this year."
Still nothing.
She scowled and turned, heading toward the fountain at the garden's center. The water shimmered, catching the early morning light in soft ripples. The place was always beautiful at this hour, but today it felt too quiet, too heavy. The mist twisted around the stone, veiling the surroundings in a haze that made the world feel far away. She had spent countless hours here, escaping from the constraints of the castle, finding solace in the simple beauty of the gardens. But now, the space felt claustrophobic. Every step, every breath, was watched.
Figures. My father's idea of a personal guard is a mute shadow in metal, she thought bitterly.
Aurelia climbed the stone steps surrounding the fountain and perched herself on the ledge, letting the cool mist dampen her skin. She stretched her arms out wide, balancing herself with ease. She loved the precariousness of it, the rush of daring to defy the rules she had been born into. This was her rebellion, however small it seemed. Her chance to feel free, even if just for a moment.
"See?" she called over her shoulder. "I'm defying royal orders. Shouldn't you tackle me or something?"
Nothing again. She almost believed he'd left until his voice broke the stillness. It was low, steady, and calm in a way that made her stomach tighten unexpectedly.
"If you fall, Princess, you'll break your neck. I don't intend to explain that to your father."
Aurelia's eyes snapped open. She turned her head sharply toward him, a crooked smile tugging at her lips.
"So you do speak. And here I thought you might be a mute cursed by a witch or something equally dramatic."
The knight remained silent, his posture unyielding, even from a distance.
She narrowed her eyes. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
Another long pause stretched between them like a drawn bowstring.
"Step down," he said quietly.
"I like it up here."
"Aurelia."
The way her name sounded in his voice caught her off guard. It was the first time he'd said it, and somehow it felt different. Not like an order, not like how others spoke it. There was a strange weight to it, a coldness and warmth all at once. It stirred something inside her, something uninvited and unwelcome. For the briefest moment, the walls around her heart faltered, the relentless steel she had surrounded herself with loosening just enough to let his words slip through.
"Do you always take your orders this seriously?" she teased, spinning too fast on the ledge.
Her foot slipped against the damp stone. The world tipped sideways, the ledge vanishing from beneath her. Time slowed. She felt the sickening drop in her stomach, the sudden rush of cold air against her skin. She could see the ground below, the hard, unforgiving stone that would greet her if she fell.
Before she could hit the ground, strong hands caught her waist.
Aurelia gasped, breath knocked from her lungs.
He steadied her easily, pulling her upright. The cool bite of his gauntlets pressed through the thin fabric of her dress. She could feel the strength in his grip, controlled but undeniable. For a heartbeat, they stood too close. His face was hidden behind that silver wolf helm, but she felt the weight of his gaze, sharp and clear. His hands lingered at her waist a second too long, and when their eyes met through the visor, something in her chest stuttered.
The air between them shifted. It wasn't quite anger, wasn't fear. It was something heavier, unnamed and uninvited. An electricity that hummed just beneath her skin, making her heart race in a way she couldn't explain.
He released her like he'd been burned.
Neither of them spoke.
Aurelia drew in a shaky breath, forcing a crooked grin. "Not bad, Shadow. I'll give you that."
She smoothed her dress, refusing to meet his eyes again, and stepped away from him, her pulse still pounding traitorously in her ears. The gardens felt smaller somehow, like the walls had crept closer while she wasn't looking. She had never realized how confined she truly was, until now. In the presence of this knight—this stranger in her father's service—she felt like a bird caged in a gilded prison, with nowhere to fly, nowhere to run.
The knight stood motionless, his hands by his sides, watching her with those unseen, unblinking eyes. There was something unsettling about the way he regarded her, as though he were studying her. And that feeling, that uncomfortable awareness, only deepened with every passing second.
She started back toward the palace, not bothering to check if he followed. She already knew he would.
And for the first time, Lucien felt something tighten in his chest. This princess was different. Reckless, stubborn, unafraid of him. He should have found it troublesome, and perhaps he did. But beneath the irritation, there was a flicker of something else. Curiosity. A dangerous thing.
As he watched her disappear into the mist, Lucien realized this mission might not be as simple as stealing back a relic from the hands of an enemy king.
He was not just here to recover a treasure. There was something about this princess that pulled at him in ways he couldn't understand. She wasn't like the others. She didn't cower before him, didn't fear his silence or the coldness he wore like armor. And that, above all else, made her dangerous.
This was going to be complicated.
And for the first time since arriving in this cursed place, the prince disguised as a knight felt a sliver of uncertainty cut through his carefully built walls.
The girl was a problem. But he didn't look away. Not yet.