It all started… twelve years ago.
"Catch him! Don't let him get away!" the second prince of the Whitmore Kingdom barked at the guards as they chased a young prince through the palace grounds, from the eastern palace all the way to the western gardens.
Adrian's heart pounded with fear. At fourteen, he was fast—but not fast enough to escape the clutches of his elder brother, who had come for him without reason that day.
Just as he reached the bridge, he stumbled and collided with a small girl.
"Ouch! What was that for?" she exclaimed.
"Shh," Adrian hissed, quickly pulling her into a nearby bush to hide.
Once the footsteps of the guards faded, he turned to study her properly. She couldn't be more than seven.
"You are…?" he asked quietly.
"I'm Elena Rosewood. My dad works here in the garden," she replied innocently. "How about you? And why were those guards chasing you?"
Adrian swallowed, forcing a calm he didn't feel.
"Uhm… I don't know," he lied.
She frowned but didn't press further. Instead, she reached into her small hands.
"Here. My dad gave this to me."
She handed him a small wooden toy.
"Whenever you feel scared, hold it. You'll feel better," she said with a soft smile.
For the first time since his mother died, Adrian felt something warm in his chest.
He looked at Elena—her bright blue eyes meeting his, full of trust and innocent happiness, the kind you rarely saw inside the palace walls.
"Thank you," he murmured, placing the toy carefully into his pocket.
"Come," he said after a moment. "It's dangerous for a little girl to be here."
He extended his hand toward her.
Hand in hand, they moved quietly under the moonlight, avoiding every patrol until they reached safety.
When they finally stopped, Adrian let go of her hand. Elena looked reluctant to leave.
He knelt slightly, placing both hands gently on her blonde hair.
"Go meet your father for now. I hope our paths cross again someday… I promise I'll repay your kindness," he said, staring directly into her deep blue eyes.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop.
Before he could turn away, Elena suddenly wrapped her small arms around him.
"Goodbye… I hope I see you again too."
Adrian watched her disappear into the garden with her father.
And something inside him hardened into a vow.
I will rise to the top.
She will be mine.
No matter what it takes.
Somewhere in the gardens, Elena rosewood walked beside her father, unaware that a single encounter would shape the destiny of the boy she had just met.