Edward had spent the entire night trying to convince himself that the encounter in the royal garden meant nothing.
It was only a conversation.
Only a few exchanged smiles beneath the shade of the old rose arbor.
Only a princess who had happened to wander into the garden at the same time as him.
Yet, no matter how many times he repeated those words, his heart refused to believe them.
Evelyn.
Even thinking her name made something inside him stir.
Edward sat alone beside the window of his modest chamber, watching the first rays of sunlight creep across the distant palace towers.
The kingdom was slowly awakening.
Servants hurried through the palace corridors.
Guards changed shifts at the gates.
Somewhere in the courtyard, the stable boys were preparing the royal horses.
But Edward hardly noticed any of it.
His mind was still in the garden.
He could still remember the way Evelyn had looked at him.
Not as a servant.
Not as someone beneath her.
But as a man.
That was what frightened him most.
Edward lowered his gaze.
He knew the rules of their world.
Princess Evelyn was the king’s second daughter.
She had been raised among silk curtains, royal banquets, tutors, musicians, and ceremonies.
Her future had been planned long before she was old enough to understand what marriage meant.
Edward, on the other hand, had been born far from the golden halls of royalty.
His family possessed neither title nor great wealth.
His father had served the crown faithfully for many years, and Edward had followed in his footsteps.
Through hard work and loyalty, he had earned a place among those trusted to serve within the royal household.
He was respected.
He was dependable.
But he was not noble.
And Evelyn was a princess.
The distance between them was not measured in miles.
It was measured in blood.
Edward closed his eyes.
“This is foolish,” he whispered.
But his heart answered with a single memory.
Her smile.
He opened his eyes again.
It was hopeless.
He had fallen in love with her.
The realization struck him with such certainty that he almost stopped breathing.
Love.
The word frightened him.
Edward had never allowed himself to dream of such a thing.
He had always believed that love was something that belonged to people who were free to choose their futures.
He had responsibilities.
She had a kingdom.
There was no place where those two paths could meet.
And yet, somehow, they had met.
In a garden.
Beneath the roses.
With nothing but a simple conversation between them.
Edward rose abruptly and walked toward the door.
He needed work.
Work would silence his thoughts.
It did not.
Throughout the morning, Edward carried out his duties around the palace, but his mind wandered constantly.
When he passed the eastern courtyard, he wondered whether Evelyn would be there.
When he heard laughter coming from the palace gardens, his heart raced before he could stop it.
When a servant mentioned that Princess Evelyn had gone to meet one of the royal tutors, Edward found himself wondering what she was wearing.
He became angry with himself.
This was madness.
He had known the princess for barely any time at all.
How could a person fall in love so quickly?
Perhaps it was not love.
Perhaps it was admiration.
Perhaps it was simply the excitement of meeting someone who had treated him with kindness.
Edward clung to that explanation because it was safer.
But deep inside, he knew better.
By afternoon, he found himself standing outside the garden.
He had not intended to go there.
At least, that was what he told himself.
His feet had simply carried him there.
The garden was quiet.
The flowers moved gently in the afternoon breeze, and sunlight poured through the branches of the ancient trees.
Edward stepped inside.
He remembered where Evelyn had stood the previous day.
He could almost hear her voice.
“Do you come here often?”
He smiled despite himself.
Then he heard footsteps.
Edward turned.
Evelyn stood at the far end of the garden.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
She wore a pale blue gown, simple by royal standards, with her dark hair flowing loosely over her shoulders.
In one hand, she carried a small book.
When she saw him, her expression softened.
“Edward.”
His heart betrayed him instantly.
“My princess.”
She smiled.
“I thought we agreed you would simply call me Evelyn.”
Edward hesitated.
“That would not be proper.”
“Perhaps I don’t always care about what is proper.”
He looked at her carefully.
“You should.”
“Why?”
“Because you are a princess.”
Evelyn’s smile faded slightly.
“And you are Edward.”
He frowned.
“Yes.”
“Then why do you speak as though there is something wrong with that?”
“Because there is a difference between us.”
She walked closer.
“There was yesterday too.”
Edward looked away.
“Evelyn…”
“Tell me.”
He struggled to find the right words.
“You should not spend time with someone like me.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Someone like you?”
“Someone beneath your station.”
The words were painful to say.
Evelyn stared at him for several seconds.
Then she shook her head.
“Do you truly believe that?”
“It is not a matter of belief.”
“Then what is it?”
“Reality.”
She stepped closer.
“You think being a princess makes me better than you?”
“No.”
“Then what makes us different?”
“Everything.”
Edward gestured toward the palace.
“You belong there.
I belong here.”
Evelyn looked toward the palace, then back at him.
“Perhaps that is where we are expected to belong.”
Edward’s heart tightened.
“What does that mean?”
She gave him a sad smile.
“It means that sometimes people build walls around us before we even realize there are walls.”
Edward stared at her.
For a moment, he forgot everything.
The palace.
The kingdom.
Their stations.
All he could see was Evelyn.
And that frightened him more than anything.
Because he knew that if he allowed himself to hope, he might never recover.
“You should go,” he whispered.
Her expression changed.
“Why?”
“Because I cannot keep pretending this means nothing.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened.
Edward realized what he had said.
He turned away.
“I am sorry.”
“Edward.”
“I should never have said that.”
“What did you mean?”
He remained silent.
“Edward.”
Her voice was softer now.
He finally turned toward her.
“I meant that I think about you when I should not.”
Evelyn’s breath caught.
“I look for you when I enter a room.
I hear your voice when you are nowhere near me.
And when I close my eyes, I see you standing beneath these roses.”
He swallowed.
“I don’t know when it happened.”
Evelyn stepped closer.
“But it has happened.”
Edward nodded.
“Yes.”
He looked at her with a mixture of longing and sorrow.
“I have fallen in love with you.”
The garden seemed to fall completely silent.
Even the birds appeared to have stopped singing.
Evelyn said nothing.
Edward immediately regretted his confession.
“I should not have told you.”
He stepped backward.
“I apologize.
Forget what I said.”
But Evelyn caught his hand.
Edward froze.
Her fingers were warm.
“Don’t.”
He looked at their hands.
“Evelyn…”
“Don’t ask me to forget.”
She looked into his eyes.
“You think you are the only one who has been afraid?”
Edward could hardly breathe.
“What are you saying?”
“I have thought about you too.”
His heart seemed to stop.
She continued softly.
“Since yesterday.”
Edward stared at her.
“You cannot mean that.”
“I do.”
“But you are a princess.”
“I know.”
“And I am—”
“Edward.”
She gently placed a finger against his lips.
“Don’t tell me what you are not.”
Her eyes glistened.
“Tell me what you feel.”
Edward took a trembling breath.
“I feel afraid.”
“Of me?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Of losing you before I ever truly have you.”
Evelyn’s eyes softened.
“You haven’t lost me.”
“Not yet.”
She looked away.
That small movement told him that she understood the danger as well as he did.
For the first time, Edward realized that this feeling was not only his burden.
Evelyn was carrying it too.
And somehow, that made it both more beautiful and more dangerous.
“There are things you don’t understand,” she whispered.
“Then tell me.”
“My life is not mine alone.”
Edward remained silent.
“My father is the king.
My family expects me to marry someone who can strengthen the kingdom.
There are alliances to consider.
There are traditions.
There are expectations.”
“And your own heart?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“My heart has never been asked what it wants.”
Edward’s expression softened.
“I wish I could change that.”
“You cannot.”
“I know.”
“That is why this is dangerous.”
Edward gently released her hand.
“We should stop.”
Evelyn’s eyes filled with sadness.
“Do you want to?”
He looked at her.
Every part of him wanted to say no.
But fear spoke louder.
“I don’t know.”
She smiled sadly.
“Neither do I.”
They stood together beneath the roses, close enough to feel each other’s presence but too afraid to take another step.
Then a distant bell rang from the palace.
Evelyn looked toward the sound.
“I must go.”
Edward nodded.
“Yes.”
She took several steps away, then stopped.
“Evelyn,” Edward called.
She turned.
“If the world were different…”
She waited.
“What would you do?”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“I would choose you.”
Then she walked away.
Edward remained beneath the roses long after she had disappeared.
Those four words stayed with him.
I would choose you.
They were the sweetest words he had ever heard.
And perhaps the most painful.
Because Edward knew that love between them would not be simple.
It would not be a love that could bloom freely beneath the sun.
It would have to grow in secret, between duty and desire, between the expectations of a kingdom and the wishes of two hearts.
He looked toward the palace.
Somewhere beyond those walls was Evelyn.
His princess.
The woman he loved.
The woman he could never have.
At least, that was what he believed.
Edward turned toward the garden gate.
He had come there hoping to escape his feelings.
Instead, he had discovered the truth.
His love for Evelyn was no longer a passing emotion.
It had taken root in his heart.
And forbidden or not, he knew one thing with painful certainty.
He could never stop loving her.
Not now.
Not after she had looked into his eyes and told him she would choose him if the world allowed it.
The world, however, had never been kind to those who dared to challenge its rules.
And Edward had a terrible feeling that their love was about to challenge everything.