Chapter 1
From childhood, you were raised as a princess and prepared for the day when you would ascend the throne on your eighteenth birthday. Of course, your status had placed certain duties and restrictions upon you from the moment you were born. Knowing the weight of the responsibility that had been placed upon your shoulders, you tried to be an obedient child and do everything that was expected of you.
But there was one person for whom you were willing to break every vow you had ever made.
His name was Cedric.
He was a few years older than you, but the two of you had grown up together and often spent your childhood playing together. He lived in the castle because of his parents. His father was a member of the royal army, while his mother served as a maid in the palace. When you were still children, you were allowed to play together. But once Cedric reached a certain age, he began training to join the army, just like his father.
You had fewer opportunities to see each other. Gradually, you also became overwhelmed with lessons and responsibilities that were meant to prepare you for your future role as queen. But the bond between you was strong, and the two of you continued to meet in secret, away from everyone’s eyes.
Over time, you realized that your feelings for Cedric were more than friendship.
You had fallen in love with him.
At first, you decided to keep your feelings hidden because you didn’t want to ruin your friendship. But the longer you kept them to yourself, the stronger they became. You even began noticing how unusually protective and worried Cedric was whenever it came to you.
Two years before your coronation, you finally found the courage to confess your feelings to him.
“I… I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time…” A blush spread across your cheeks as you turned your gaze away, deliberately avoiding Cedric’s eyes. “I’m in love with you…”
Cedric gently touched your chin, lifting your head and making you look at him. He gave you a soft smile before quietly saying:
“Wait for me.”
With those words, he quickly stood up and disappeared into the darkness of the night, leaving you alone in the park where the two of you often met far from prying eyes.
At first, you didn’t understand what he meant.
But the next day, everything became clear.
Cedric was gone.
No one knew where he had disappeared to. Not even his parents.
And you didn’t know either.
After Cedric’s mysterious disappearance, you kept wondering where he could have gone. You waited for him patiently. But the days turned into weeks, and then into months, and you heard nothing from him.
Eventually, you began to grow angry with him.
You thought that your confession had upset him so deeply that he had decided it was easier to disappear than to face you again in the castle.
Two years passed.
Cedric never returned.
With every passing day, the resentment you felt toward him grew stronger.
Then came your birthday and with it, the day of your coronation.
It was a grand celebration for the entire kingdom.
Now that you had officially taken your place as queen, it was time to meet the knights who, from that day forward, would be sworn to serve and protect you.
The moment you entered the hall where your knights stood in formation, your eyes found a familiar pair of eyes—the very same ones that had haunted your dreams for the past two years, the ones you had desperately tried to forget.
It was him.
Cedric.
The room began to spin.
The ground seemed to disappear beneath your feet.
And then everything went black.
