The sun had set by the time Prince Kevin stepped inside the gates of Velmora Palace, but the night around him shimmered with noise. Velvet banners billowed in the warm wind, and torchlight danced across stone walls like restless spirits.
The villagers had gathered in clusters at the outer courtyard, their cheers muffled by awe. Seven years had passed since they last saw him—he was no longer the curious boy who once played hide-and-seek in the rose maze. Now, he stood taller, with broad shoulders and a silence that clung to him like a cloak.
Kevin offered a polite smile as he nodded to the Queen and King, but his eyes—those piercing blue eyes—kept drifting toward the hills beyond the orchard.
He had seen something.
Someone.
But when he looked again, the hill was empty.
"She reminded me of something," he murmured to himself later that night, standing at the tall windows of his chamber. His fingers traced the chilled glass. His thoughts were tangled, distracted.
A girl, alone on the hill.
The wind in her hair.
Eyes like his.
But surely it was just a trick of the light… wasn’t it?
Far from the palace, in the quiet of the orchard house, Suzi sat at the edge of her small bed, combing her fingers through her loose hair. The room was dim, lit only by a single candle.
Her lenses—those suffocating black shields—rested on the wooden table.
She could still feel the weight of his gaze.
Even from that distance, something within her stirred, something she didn’t understand. A flutter in her chest, soft as silk, and just as easily torn.
She hadn’t seen him clearly—not really—but what she had felt was undeniable.
And dangerous.
The next morning came with silver clouds and low, steady winds. Velmora awoke slowly, still humming with the energy of the prince’s return. In the palace, the air was thick with preparation. Florists filled the halls with winter blossoms. Seamstresses bustled between rooms with silk and lace. The Queen summoned Elara at sunrise.
“You must be ready, Elara,” Queen Evelyne said firmly, adjusting a comb in her golden hair. “The prince will meet you today. He must see you as he remembers—poised, gentle, and... radiant.”
Elara nodded quietly, her hands folded in her lap.
Behind her composed face, her stomach twisted.
She hadn't worn the lenses yet that morning.
When the Queen left the room, Elara slowly walked to her mirror. She reached for the tiny velvet box and opened it.
Inside, the blue lenses waited—silent guardians of a truth she had never chosen to hide.
She stared at her reflection. The girl who stared back looked noble. Polished. Lovely.
But not true.
With a sigh, she placed the lenses in, blinking back the sting. The transformation was instant. And with it, a silent grief returned—like a shadow that followed her every step.
In the royal gardens, Kevin strolled alone, as he always preferred. He wandered past the marble fountain and paused beneath the old olive tree, the one from his childhood. The breeze carried the scent of damp earth and lavender.
He stood still for a while, eyes closed.
He didn’t notice the gardener trimming the ivy by the archway. A girl with loose curls and worn gloves.
Suzi.
She kept her head low, back turned, careful not to look up. But she could hear his steps on the gravel. Her breath caught as he paused just a few feet from her.
He didn’t speak.
Neither did she.
But something passed between them—unseen, unspoken.
When Kevin finally moved on, Suzi dared to glance over her shoulder.
And in that one stolen look, she knew:
He hadn’t recognized her.
Not yet.
But . inside him had.
To be continued.........
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