The unexpected visit
The sun had climbed high past the marble towers when Crown Prince Kaelen finally stirred.
His chambers, draped in silks and shadowed by golden curtains, held the stale heat of late morning. He blinked slowly, Another day of nothing. No war. No scandal. No excitement. Just polished courtyards, dull advisors, Surrounded by empty furniture and people who only want to please him.
Stretching lazily, he pushed off the velvet sheets, muscles taut beneath his silk robe. The servants had already come and gone, leaving fresh clothes folded, breakfast untouched on the side table.
He ignored it all.
Feet silent on the cool floor, Kaelen wandered past the carved doors, down the long halls of the palace that he always called a cage, preventing him from seeing the world and exploring new things.
Until he turned one corner and heard the faint sound of humming — soft, unaware, maid.
It was one of the maids who was assigned to the kitchen, usually he would ignore her but something about her quiet, diligent, easily overlooked self . Her presence was like the scent of jasmine at night: soft, lingering, and strangely intoxicating. With sun-kissed skin, she sat on a wooden chair with her outfit hanging to her slander frame as she had a bowl of grapes in her lap, her delicate and soft looking fingers grabbed on a small green glooming grape and slowly brought it to her plump red lips, the prince was caught in the moment, the soft sun light landing on her small body. He felt like the time had stopped and he was watching a painting full of life, no one was there but him to watch the beautiful art.
And in that moment, something stirred in him deeper than boredom.
