Chapter 5: Shadows Between Us

The next morning arrived wrapped in fog, soft and pale like breath on glass. Velmora slumbered a little longer in this weather, the market stalls opening slowly, the bells of the chapel muffled beneath the sky’s gray hush.

In the palace courtyard, Prince Kevin walked alone. His guards followed at a respectful distance, but he barely noticed them. His boots tapped gently over dew-covered stones as he turned toward the one place that had not changed over the years—the garden terrace.

Everything in the royal garden seemed untouched. The ivy still curled over the stone walls like sleepy vines. The fountain still trickled in its soft rhythm, a song of memory. It should have been comforting.

But his heart wasn’t still.

Kevin leaned against the railing and looked past the hedges—toward the orchard.

There it was again.

That quiet tug in his chest.

That sense.

Somewhere close by, the girl from the hill was near.

Suzi stood behind the tall hedges, her arms full of fresh herbs wrapped in cloth. She’d been asked to deliver them to the kitchen, but curiosity had slowed her steps. She had heard the guards mention the prince had taken to walking alone in the mornings.

And here he was.

Just on the other side of the garden wall.

She dared to glance through the vines.

His face was calmer than she’d expected—thoughtful, not proud. Like someone who didn’t quite fit into the crown they’d been handed.

He turned, and for a second, Suzi panicked.

Their eyes almost met—but her black lenses masked the color beneath. She quickly stepped back.

Still unseen.

Still forgotten.

Elara, meanwhile, was sitting in the drawing room with Queen Evelyne, being shown yet another array of fabrics and jewels. But her attention was far from the display of emerald necklaces.

She had seen Kevin's expression the night before. The way he looked past her, not through her—but beyond her. As though searching for something… or someone else.

Elara's fingers tightened around the armrest of her chair.

She had lived her life wearing lenses not just over her eyes, but over the truth. She had trained for this moment. She was the chosen one.

But what if Kevin’s heart didn’t choose her?

What if... it had already seen someone else?

Later that day, a soft rain began to fall.

Suzi walked through the orchard with a woven basket in hand, collecting herbs beneath the dripping leaves. Her father, Elias, had warned her to stay away from the main garden paths, but she hadn’t listened—not completely.

She paused beneath an almond tree when she heard footsteps.

Heavy. Not rushed.

Turning slowly, she saw him.

Kevin.

Holding no umbrella, no coat. Just standing in the rain with a calmness that didn’t match the rest of the world.

Suzi froze.

He looked at her.

Her lenses still hid her eyes.

But something passed between them—something not seen, but felt.

Kevin tilted his head slightly, as though a memory stirred but refused to surface.

“You work in the gardens?” he asked gently.

Suzi’s voice caught in her throat. “Yes, Your Highness.”

A pause.

“You seem familiar,” he said, frowning softly. “Have we met?”

Suzi swallowed. Her heart pounded. “I don’t think so, Your Highness.”

But her voice trembled just enough for him to notice.

He took a step forward, his eyes narrowing—not suspiciously, but curiously. The way someone looks at a half-finished painting they’re certain they’ve seen before.

Then a voice called from the distance—Elara’s.

“Kevin?”

He turned.

Suzi slipped behind the tree and disappeared into the orchard path before he could ask anything more.

And Kevin, now standing alone again in the rain, looked once more toward the trees.

He was certain of one thing now.

He had met her before.

But not like this.

To be continued........

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