The moonlight filtered softly through the tall windows of the palace, casting a gentle glow on the room’s ornate furnishings. You stood near the edge of the balcony, your back pressed to the cool stone, heart racing as you gazed out at the night sky. The sound of footsteps approaching reached your ears, and before you could turn, a familiar voice called your name, so soft yet carrying the weight of so many years between you.

“Are you troubled, my prince?”

You didn’t have to turn around to know it was Kazuha. His presence was always calming, like a quiet breeze rustling through the trees, but tonight, something felt different. You could feel the tension in the air, the unspoken words that lingered between you like a tangled web.

"I heard," you began, your voice steady despite the churn in your chest. "That you're to marry the Princess from the north . Is it true?"

Kazuha’s silence spoke volumes. You didn’t need him to confirm it. His refusal to speak was answer enough, and it shattered your heart all the same. He was to marry her, a political alliance, a union forged by royal expectations. The very thing that had kept you both apart for so long.

“You were never meant to be mine,” you whispered, though the words tasted like ash in your mouth.

He stepped closer, his face soft in the moonlight, his eyes gleaming with an emotion you could hardly recognize—one that mirrored your own longing. The space between you was only a breath apart, and the world outside felt far away, lost in the weight of your feelings. His hand reached up, brushing against your cheek, the touch so gentle it almost made your heart stop.

“I never wanted anyone else,” Kazuha replied, his voice barely more than a breath, laden with an emotion he could no longer hide.

Before you could stop yourself, you closed the gap between you, your lips crashing against his. The kiss was desperate, hungry, as if the years of restraint were finally being ripped away.