Chapter 1: He has arrived
“Your Majesty… he has arrived.”
The words shattered the quiet.
My father stopped so suddenly I nearly stepped into him.
Aminister stood before us, slightly out of breath. I couldn’t remember his name. Assuming I had ever known it.
Interruptions were nothing new. Kings didn’t belong to their families—they belonged to their kingdoms.
But this time… something was different.
For forty years, my father had ruled Moonjoya. War, diplomacy, unrest—he had faced it all with the same unshakable composure.
Nothing ever unsettled him.
Nothing.
Until now.
His shoulders stiffened. His gaze sharpened—fixed on something only he could see.
For the briefest instant—
Something flickered in his expression.
Fear?
No.
Impossible.
My father doesn’ feel fear.
If anything… it looked closer to anticipation.
As if this moment had been expected.
As if whoever was coming was not a surprise—
but a turning point.
“Thank you,” Father said calmly. “Gather the ministers in the Great Hall. I’ll join you shortly.”
The man bowed and hurried away.
My father turned back to me.
“I’ll walk you to your chambers.”
Of course.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t meant for me.
It never was.
I had grown used to it—being gently pushed aside whenever matters of state took precedence.
Still…unease crept quietly into my chest.
Something had changed.
AndI wanted to understand why.
“Father,” I said before I could stop myself, “may I ask you something?”
His expression softened instantly.
“Of course.”
“Whowere you speaking about?”
For a fraction of a second, something in his gaze closed.
The nit was gone.
“That doesn’t concern you.”
There it was.
The answer I already knew.
“These are matters for your brother and me,” he continued. “You have nothing to worry about.”
How many times had I heard that?
Too many to count.
Enough that I had stopped asking questions years ago.
But today… silence felt unbearable.
“I am a citizen of Moonjoya,” I said carefully. “Surely I have the right to know who's entering mykingdom.“
“Diane.”
My name—firm, final.
“I will not repeat myself.”
Heat rose to my cheeks.
“Yes, Father.”
I lowered my gaze.
There was no point insisting.
There never was.
He would not explain.
And I would be left in the dark.
As always.
We walked on in silence.
Servants stepped aside the moment they saw us, lowering their heads as we passed through the palace corridors.
Light danced across polished floors and jeweled walls.
Ruby. Diamond. Emerald. Sapphire.
Every room gleamed with quiet opulence.
It should have felt familiar.
Comforting.
Instead, it felt distant.
Like a place I no longer truly belonged to.
We crossed into the gardens.
The air changed instantly—cooler, softer.
Leaves stirred overhead, casting shifting shadows along the paths. Water murmured somewhere in the distance.
Hidden grottos nestled between the greenery—private, secluded.
Perfect for secrets.
Or for lovers.
ThoughI’d never dared imagine stepping into one.
Not with anyone.
I was not meant to live that kind of life.
I was the king’s daughter.
My future was already written—even if no one had spoken it aloud.
One day, I would marry.
Not for love.
But for peace.
For alliances.
For duty.
And when that day came, I would leave.
Without hesitation.
Without protest.
Because that was what was expected of me.
Because that was what I had always known.
We reached my chambers too quickly.
Disappointment settled quietly inside me.
Time with my father was rare.
Time without interruption… rarer still.
But I said nothing.
He had responsibilities.
I had my role.
I began to bow my head in farewell—
“Diane.”
I turned back.
For the first time since the interruption, his expression softened.
“I wished to speak with you about something important,” he said. “But we were interrupted.”
A pause.
“Come see me after dinner. We’ll talk then.”
Surprise flickered through me.
“Of course,” I said quickly. “I would be happy to.”
A smile slipped through before I could stop it.
Spending time with him—unexpected, unplanned—was almost unheard of.
Everythingin his life was scheduled.
Precise.
Controlled.
This wasn’t.
And that was exactly why, as I watched him walk away—
Unease settled deeper into my chest.
In twenty years, he had never asked for a private conversation without a reason.
Not once.
Which meant this wasn’t simple.
This wasn’t ordinary.
Something was coming.
Something that would change everything.
I could feel it.
Like the stillness before a storm.
And somehow… I already knew.
Aftertonight—
My life would never be the same again.
