Like every other day, the joker woke and performed for the king.
But fate had different plans.
No matter how many times the king saw the joker, he never grew bored of him—never disappointed the life of the castle.
That evening, the joker was summoned to the princess's room.
He entered quietly, and she took his hands, pulling him closer to show the roses she'd made.
They were good—almost perfect—but it was her effort, not the result, that made him proud. He smiled and patted her head.
The princess puffed her cheeks. "I am not a child, you know."
The joker grinned and tugged his ears in mock apology.
"Can you help me make them like you do?"
He nodded.
She sat in the chair, and he stood behind her.
He didn't realize how close he was.
She could feel his breath on her neck, his arms guiding her hands.
For him, it was simply teaching her to fold paper.
For her… it was something new—something warm fluttering in her chest like butterflies.
After several failed attempts, he patted her head again and wrote on a scrap of paper:
With enough time, you'll make roses even better than mine.
Before she could protest, he was summoned by the king and left.
When he was gone, she picked up the paper again—this time making a perfect rose.
It wasn't that she couldn't do it earlier.
She just hadn't wanted the lesson to end.
She sighed, looking out the window.
"I would kill to hear him say my name… but my wishes were never meant to be real."
She hid the rose in her drawer, covering her face with her hands.
"He's bad for my crown, and I'm bad for his life… so why are we both so careless about it?"
---
In his room, the joker could not stop thinking about her.
The warmth of her hands against the cold of his—it felt like they were meant to fit.
Her skin was softer than the petals of any rose he had ever made.
I am bad for her crown, and she is bad for my life… so why do I love her? Am I selfish?
The king was leaving for a week, and the joker was forbidden from going into town.
Without the king's demands to distract him, how would he keep his mind off her?
He left his room, only to see the princess rushing toward him.
She pushed him inside and shut the door behind her.
"I can't be seen with you, so I had to hurry."
She handed him a quill and a small book.
"Use this to talk with me. Now you have no excuse to avoid conversation with me mister."
It was the first gift he had ever received. He hugged her tightly.
Even if the king had walked in and ordered his execution, he would have done it again without a second thought.
When he finally let go, her cheeks were faintly red.
He pressed his forehead to hers.
She pushed him away "What do you think you're doing?" she stammered, her blush deepening.
He sat cross-legged on the floor and scribbled:
Just checking if you're sick. Your cheeks are red.
She read it and sighed. "How can someone be so dumb?"
They both smiled.
The princess sat in front of him. "Wanna go to the garden tonight?"
He nodded.
She rested her hand against his cheek. "We're both trouble for each other then why do we do such things."
He nodded again, and they laughed before parting.
---
That night, after the king had left, they met in the castle's garden.
The joker lay on the grass, gazing at the stars.
The princess hesitated, not wanting to get her dress dirty.
He simply pulled her into his lap, arms wrapped around her waist, and together they admired the night maybe it was the night which was special or maybe it was special because they were together.
A princess who rarely spoke, and a joker who could not speak at all—
And yet, in that silence, there was no emptiness.
It was full of something they couldn't name.
That night, the princess didn't fear the king or his knights. She simply lived.
When she fell asleep, the joker carried her back to her room , tucked her into bed, and left quietly.
But unlike her, he could not sleep.
Fate had never been kind to him…
Maybe tonight, for the first time, it pitied him.