(Kael's Point of View)
6 months ago
"I greet the sun of Eldoria! May blessings be upon you and your health, Your Majesty," said Kael, the first prince of the Eldoria Empire. Despite being the eldest, he had remained almost invisible — no one had seen his face until now, and no one knew the true extent of his power.
The Emperor laughed heartily. "Very funny, Kael. I admire your sense of humor at a time like this. Relax, my son! I summoned you because I wanted to speak with you. As you know, you are my eldest, and I have watched your every move. Among all my sons and daughters, I believe you are the most suitable to take the throne after me."
The Emperor smiled fondly. "Come now, son. You know how much I love your mother. Since becoming Emperor, I have yet to truly enjoy our marriage. I think it is time for you to take my place."
Kael bowed slightly. "I understand, Father. But I do not think you should summon me only to discuss this. More than that, I don't believe I am the most suitable for the throne. You should consider carefully."
The Emperor's expression was firm. "I have already decided, my son."
Kael met his father's gaze. "Father, I ask for a year. As you know, neither the commoners nor the nobles have seen my face. More importantly, I don't yet understand what this population truly needs. I want to live among them for at least a year — to blend with them, learn their lives, and understand what I must do as their future ruler. If I cannot discover their needs, or if I cannot live as they do, then I will not be their ruler. I do not deserve it."
The Emperor considered him for a long moment. Then he nodded. "Very well, son. You have a deal. Within a year, give everything your full thought and attention. Listen carefully to what you learn. I grant you the authority to punish any criminal and wield all necessary power — all you need to do is present this crest to the knights."
He held out a signet bearing the imperial crest.
And so, the first prince Kael lived among the common people, learning their lives firsthand. With his keen eyes, he uncovered their secrets—their hopes, their fears, what they truly needed, and what must be done.
Then, one day, he saw something that unsettled him.
The young princess of House Rubienne was being harassed by a group of drunken men—men known for their betrayal of wives and for troubling the young women of the town. Through his eyes, Kael saw into their souls: their darkest secrets, their deepest fears laid bare.
But when he turned his gaze to her, something impossible happened.
He could not pierce her mind.No secrets.No fears.No thoughts.
She was a complete mystery.
He acted swiftly, saving her from the drunken mob. As she fainted and closed her eyes, Kael's vision blurred, and his mind went dark for a moment.
Kael's eyes sharpened as he stepped forward just in time to catch the young woman before she collapsed. His gaze locked onto something impossible—her eyes. A deep, vivid red that stood out even in the dim light, glowing with a strange, almost otherworldly intensity.
He knew immediately who she was.
The little princess of House Rubienne.
But there was more—something he couldn't explain. Despite the chaos around her, despite the men's cruel words and drunken taunts, her mind remained a closed fortress. He tried to find her deepest secrets or fears bote nothing. Nothing at all.
It was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
He sent her to the Duke's mansion, but his mind remained restless. For the first time, his power had failed him — it revealed nothing. No whispers, no fears, no shadows behind her gaze. Just silence.
It gnawed at him.
Every two hours, he returned to the Duke's estate, asking about her condition. Not out of duty — but out of something far more dangerous: curiosity. Obsession, maybe. He couldn't wait. He needed to see her again. To try again.
But his requests were met with protocol and distance.
So he asked again. And again. Until finally, he stood before the Duke with quiet persistence in his voice:
"Let me be her knight."
Days passed. Then, one evening, a letter arrived — sealed with the sigil of House Rubienne.
Kael opened it with steady hands, but when his eyes caught the message inside, something within him shifted.
"She has requested to see you."
He stared at the words for a long time. Not because he didn't understand them, but because he couldn't believe them.
She had asked for him.
For the first time in a long time, the ever-calm prince felt... breathless.
Without hesitation, he made his way to the address written in the letter. He arrived early — far too early — and waited in silence. And yet, he would've waited days. Weeks. Eternity, if he had to.
Just to see her again.
He didn't even realize that the deal with his father — the year of learning, of living among the people — had slipped from his thoughts entirely. He had done more than he ever promised. His power had wiped out corruption in the empire's veins. Crime had plummeted. Order had returned.
But none of that mattered now.
Because the door opened
And Kael — heir to the empire, blade of justice, son of the sun itself — forgot how to breathe.
There she was.
She didn't walk in.She arrived — like a moment the world had been holding its breath for.
And in that instant, everything about her unraveled him.
He saw no secrets.No fears.No thoughts he could read or truths he could unravel.
Only beauty.
Not the kind sung by poets or painted by court artists — but the kind that could stop time. The kind that made a man like him feel unworthy of standing there.
He had seen the souls of murderers, tyrants, liars, saints — and not one of them had left him speechless.
But her?
She was the first mystery he couldn't solve.And somehow, the first thing he didn't want to.
For the first time in his life... Kael didn't want to understand.
He just wanted the moment to last forever.
Love, he realized.This is what it feels like.
Seraphina stepped into the room — and froze.
It wasn't the space that unsettled her.It was him.
She couldn't read him.
No colors. No aura. No lies. Just... silence.
The emptiness in her mind where his truth should have been felt strange — like reaching for a thought that simply wasn't there. Ever since her eyes had awakened days ago, she had been flooded with the truths of others: unspoken fears, cruel intentions, quiet betrayals. It was exhausting, like hearing the world whisper constantly into her skull.
But with him?
There was nothing.
And in that nothing, she felt something she hadn't realized she'd been missing — peace.
She had forgotten what it felt like to have a conversation without hearing someone's inner thoughts echoing behind every word. And now, standing in front of him, her mind was finally quiet.
It put her strangely… at ease.
She swallowed softly and gathered her courage.
"Hello," she said gently, her voice steady but warm. "My name is Seraphina Rubienne. You saved my life the other day, and I never got the chance to thank you properly."
He stood still, as if her presence had frozen time. For a long moment, Kael just looked at her — like she was something not meant to exist.
No woman had ever stirred him like this.
She hadn't even tried.
And somehow, it worked.
Her ruby-like eyes weren't just beautiful — they felt like they were meant to be looking at him. Like they already knew something he didn't.
He forced himself to speak, realizing how strange his silence must have seemed.
"Nice to meet you, Seraphina," he said, bowing slightly. "I'm Kael Ast—"
His breath caught.
"…Kael Valenor," he corrected quickly, clearing his throat. "Ahem."
He'd almost said his real name. Almost told her who he really was.