Twelve years ago. I remember—back when we were still children. Aside from him always making me cry or picking fights with me, there were times I felt unbearably lonely. Our home, the Elyndralis mansion, was vast and cold, less a dwelling and more a silent monument to duty. The shadows in the great hall stretched long even at midday, and the silence was often so heavy I could hear the dust settle. Kalix, even at his youngest age, was constantly at war with his father, always tangled in the empire's affairs and focused on the duty he was already expected to inherit. Sylvia was often gone, dragged along by her mother who served as my mother's handmaiden.
I was only six years old. Alone. Forgotten in the vast, echoing halls of my own house. The only sounds were the slow ticking of the grandfather clock and the faint rustle of servants too busy to notice the child hidden away.
Until Prince Ashen came.
He was the first to ever approach me. He didn't see the silent, silver-haired ghost of a child; he saw someone to play with. From then on, he would always tag along with Renzou to play with Zein—just so he could sneak away and spend time with me. He would slip into my room, against every rule, just to talk or play.
"Hey, Dravina! Open the door!" His voice was a sudden, jarring noise—a bright, unwelcome spark of life—that echoed through the wood as his fist knocked insistently. With a groan that was mostly for show, I dragged myself up and unlatched it, only to crawl straight back into bed and turn my back on him. I wanted him to think I was deeply bothered.
"Come on! Let's play!" he pressed, unwilling to give up. He always pressed. I stayed silent, hiding in the sheets, inhaling the faint, sterile scent of clean linen, until he walked around the right side of my bed.
That's when he stopped—and suddenly placed his hand on my cheek.
His skin was warm and slightly rough, a startling contrast to the perpetually cool air of the room. "Wow… you're real. Your face is soft," he whispered with genuine, childlike wonder.
My eyes flew open, and I shot up to face him. His dark eyes were wide, filled with an intensity I hadn't seen before. "Why are you here again?" I demanded, already regretting the sharp tone.
"I came with Renzou so Raiden could play. But I sneaked out… to see you," he explained matter-of-factly, as if walking away from a prince's playdate to find a shut-in girl was the most natural thing in the world.
To see me? The words settled in my chest like a strange, foreign weight. Nobody ever came just for me. Not my parents, whose attention was divided by state duties and social appearances. Not my so-called friends, who only approached me because our mothers commanded it. Everyone always had some other reason—duty, bloodline, survival. But him? He said it so simply, like I was worth sneaking into trouble for.
I felt my chest tighten, a confused surge of longing and fear, but I shoved it down. I couldn't show him that. I didn't know how to accept that kind of uncomplicated warmth.
"Go back before someone notices. If they catch you here, I'll be the one in trouble," I warned, my voice thin. But the truth? Deep down, I didn't want him to leave. I wanted the noise, the warmth, the feeling of not being utterly alone.
He only grinned at my sharp tone, unbothered, like my words were paper swords that couldn't touch him. "Then I'll just sneak better next time," he said with that boyish arrogance, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
Next time? He was already planning it?
"Go," I muttered again, pushing his shoulder lightly. He laughed, a bright, clear sound that seemed too loud for the hall, and darted out the door, his footsteps echoing down the hall like he owned the place.
When silence fell, I sank back into my bed. Hugging the pillow to my chest, I buried my face into it. He's so reckless. He'll get me into trouble one day.
And yet… that night, for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel as lonely. The echo of his laugh was a small, persistent warmth in the vast cold.
- The Secret Routine -
It became a routine after that. Every time Ashen visited, I caught myself waiting—ears straining for that familiar knock, heart skipping the moment his voice called out, "Dravina! Open up!" The anticipation was a secret joy I could never admit.
And every time, I played the same role: the annoyed little girl. The one who groaned, turned her back, rolled her eyes.
But secretly? I'd already tidied my toys on the bed, lining up the wooden soldiers and painted dolls neatly. I prepared a thick, heavy book to pretend I was reading. Sometimes I even brushed my silver hair ribbon twice, catching my reflection in the dark glass of the window just in case he noticed.
Every day I told myself it was nothing. He's just noisy. He's just stubborn. He bothers me too much. But if that were true… then why was I always waiting for him?
One afternoon, I sat on the edge of my bed, feet dangling restlessly. The sun was dipping low, casting long geometric shadows through the diamond-paned window. I had already stacked the toys neatly, arranged my hair ribbon twice, and placed a book open on my lap—though I hadn't read a single word. My body felt coiled with tension.
He's late today… did he not come with Renzou? Maybe he forgot? The fear of being forgotten, of having the one fragile connection snapped, was immediate and sharp.
A sudden, insistent knock startled me so much I almost dropped the book.
"Dravina! Open the door!"
My heart leapt into my throat, but I scrambled to act composed. I grabbed the book, shoved my face into the pages, and tried to look as if I'd been deeply engrossed in reading for hours.
When I opened the door, Ashen barged in with his usual grinning hurricane of energy. "You were waiting for me again, weren't you?"
"W–waiting? As if!" I snapped, turning away so he wouldn't see the heat rushing to my cheeks. The denial felt like a lie caught in my throat. "I was reading. Obviously. Not everything in my life is about you."
He raised an eyebrow, his smile fading into a low, amused smirk. He leaned closer until his shadow fell across the page in my lap. "Upside down?"
I froze, the blood draining from my face. The book in my lap—The Annals of the Vesperianth Reign—was indeed upside down.
Ashen burst into laughter, a high, triumphant sound, clutching his stomach. "Ha! You really were waiting!"
"Shut up!" I threw the pillow at him with all the force my small hands could muster. "Get out of my room!" My ears were burning red, a telltale sign of my utter humiliation.
But he only caught the pillow midair, sat down beside me, and said with a calm, absolute certainty that settled the frantic beating of my heart: "Don't worry. I'll always come back."
And just like that, my heart betrayed me again, racing faster than I wanted to admit.
That was the first time I finally allowed him to stay and play in my room. Though, truth be told, I didn't join him. Instead, I sat on the edge of my bed, holding a book open in my lap, pretending to read while my eyes strayed again and again to where he crouched on the floor, fully absorbed in playing soldiers.
My gaze lingered too long, and he noticed. Ashen stood, brushing dust from his hands, and walked over to me with that curious tilt of his head.
"What are you reading?" he asked, leaning close.
Wordlessly, I lifted the book to show him.
His eyes widened. "Wow, you're actually reading this kind of book?"
I lowered the book just enough for him to see my faint smirk. It wasn't a fairy tale, not even a children's story—it was A History of Philosophy.
"May I read that too?" he asked, genuine interest shining in his voice.
I shook my head lightly. "I only have one copy of this. But I have plenty of other books." I gestured toward the tall, oak bookshelf beside the window.
Ashen's eyes lit up as he crossed the room to inspect the shelves. His fingers brushed across the spines, whispering over titles far too heavy for children our age—histories of war, treatises on governance, ancient laws. Yet he looked at them like they were treasures, like the worlds inside them weren't boring or strange.
I lifted my book higher, covering my face so that only my eyes peeked over the top. And from that little hiding place, I watched him. The way he scanned every row with fascination, the way his lips curved in quiet wonder.
It was the first time I realized he wasn't like the others. He didn't run from my silence, nor mock the things I loved. He wanted to see them. To understand them. And even as children, that curiosity bound him to me in ways I couldn't name yet.
Every time, it became our routine—me sitting with a book, him sneaking into my room, talking, playing, and filling the silence I never admitted was too heavy. That's how it was until the years slipped by, until we were eight and nine.
That was when things began to change. Ashen and I fought more often, sometimes over the smallest things. He would scold me for my sharp tongue, for the way I snapped at everyone, even him. I would roll my eyes, push him away, pretend I didn't care.
And yet… he never stopped showing up. No matter how often I sulked or how cold I became, Ashen remained the same—soft, gentle, patient. He had this strange kindness, this softness he showed only to me, as though he knew I needed it even when I pretended I didn't.
I hated how much it unsettled me. I hated how easily he could disarm me with just a look or a word. And though I told myself I couldn't stand him… the truth was, I couldn't stand the thought of him leaving either.
- The Truth is Laid Bare -
Until one day, everything shifted.
The Emperor himself came to our house. The full presence of the Vesperianth royals arrived—the King, Dwine Vyre Vesperianth; the Empress, Catherine Vesperianth; and beside them, the young Prince Kaein Ashen. The sheer power radiating from them felt suffocating.
We, my family and I, were all gathered in the grand hall. The silence was thick, pressing the air out of the room, every eye fixed on me. I remember the way my small hands trembled against the silk of my dress, the way my heart pounded like a caged bird trying to break free.
That was the day the truth was laid bare.
The Emperor spoke of who I truly was—the hidden princess. His voice was low, resonant, filling the vast space. They explained why my life had always been confined within walls, why I was never allowed to wander freely like other children. My silver hair, my rare eyes, my very bloodline—they marked me as something beyond ordinary. Something royal. Something they needed to protect at all costs.
And then, with voices heavy with decision, they declared it: I was to be made a princess of Vesperianth. The hidden princess of the Empire.
I caught Ashen's gaze across the room. He was standing beside the King, his expression solemn, his dark eyes never leaving mine. He already knew. He had always known.
For the first time, I understood why he lingered by my side, why the world treated me like a secret to be kept. From that moment on, my name, my life, even my destiny—none of it was mine alone anymore.
At that time, I couldn't settle my thoughts. It felt like chains tightening around me, cold and inflexible, like a golden cage I could never escape. They called it a privilege, a high honor, but I only felt imprisoned. The declaration sealed my fate, stealing the last vestige of a normal life. I never once experienced the simple joys of childhood—playing outside with other nobles, laughing, running free beneath the open sky.
After that day, Ashen rarely visited my home. The rules tightened, the stakes were too high. And even when he did, it wasn't the same. He would still try to come to my room, but he no longer knocked on my door. It was as if he had already accepted that I wouldn't open it for him.
I only discovered the truth one evening. I finally gathered the courage to step out of my room, the hallway feeling foreign and vast, only to see him in the distance, walking away. His figure was small, his footsteps faint as he headed down the grand staircase. He never looked back.
That was when I realized: he had been coming all along. He had been there, quietly, waiting… just outside my door, giving me the choice, even when I shut myself away.
- The Forging of the Blade -
By the time I turned twelve, and Ashen thirteen, I had finally come to terms with the truth: I was the hidden princess. At first, the title felt suffocating, but as the years passed, I learned to surrender to it. If this was who I was meant to be, then so be it. If I had been born into this fate, then I would embrace it. Perhaps this was the purpose the world had written for me.
It was also during this time that Sylvia and Kalix became my closest companions. And then there was Kalix's father. I met the old warrior when I was twelve. He was older, already weakened by illness, but his eyes still burned with the sharpness of a hawk. Knowing I was the hidden princess, he chose to train me in secret. For an entire year, he shaped me into something more than a caged girl—he taught me the way of the sword, the precision of the gun, and the art of speed in battle. Under his guidance, I learned discipline, strength, and the confidence to wield power with my own hands.
But fate was merciless. By the time I turned fourteen, his body had finally given in to age and sickness. His death struck me deeply, not only because I lost a mentor, but because I knew what he had left behind—Kalix. It was then I learned the truth: Kalix had not been his blood. He was found amidst the chaos of war, a boy abandoned in fire and ruin. The old warrior had taken him in, raised him, and trained him as his own.
Six months later, tragedy struck again.
The memory of that night still lingers, etched into me like a scar I can never erase. The halls of our mansion were quiet, until the thunder of hooves tore through the stillness. Soldiers came rushing to our gates, their armor clanging, their voices trembling. And then the words were spoken, sharp and final:
"The King has been assassinated."
The air was stolen from my chest. The empire's sun, Dwine Vyre Vesperianth, was gone. They said it happened with a single, merciless strike in the royal palace.
I remember standing by the window, staring out into the night, my reflection a ghost in the glass. The silence of the crown pressed heavily against me. If a king could be killed in the heart of his own palace, then what safety did a hidden princess have?
That was the night Kalix swore his oath. His face was pale with a raw, contained fury, his voice shaking. He vowed to protect me, an oath that has never once wavered.
The next few days were chaotic. Whispers of betrayal filled the streets. That was the first time I understood the cruelty of power. It was not just about ruling—it was about surviving. And from that night forward, the empire felt different. Colder. Hungrier. And so did I.
That was the age when Kalix took over where his father had left off, training me even harder, like a blade being forged over and over again. The first month alone felt like a year—sparring at dawn, running drills until my muscles screamed, learning how to see the weaknesses in my enemies before they saw mine.
Meanwhile, outside the training grounds, the empire was breaking apart.
Commoners starved. Justice was a story people no longer believed in. The Emperor himself—struggling to hold the empire together after the King's assassination—was crumbling. His eyes were always tired, his voice quieter. He needed a break, but the empire gave no breaks.
Then Kalix told me what he had heard: Senators throwing a party night. Not for the empire. Not for unity. Just indulgence, a secret feast while the city withered.
Party for what? For the King's death? I thought bitterly.
Worse than the party itself was the silence of the high court. The higher powers didn't even know it was happening—or didn't care to know. That was when something inside me shifted.
I realized my purpose was not just to sit in a hidden room, to be a princess kept behind walls. No. This was why I'd been born with royal blood. This was why Kalix's father had trained me. This was why I'd endured the cage.
I wasn't meant to simply wear a crown.
I was meant to change the empire.
And for the first time in my life, the idea didn't scare me. It felt like destiny, finally revealed.