Lisa_henry

"You don't understand..."
His voice broke as he looked at her, barely able to breathe.
 "I've loved you for as long as I can remember - before I knew what it meant... before I even knew how much it would hurt."
 He took a step closer, eyes shimmering.
 "I loved you when you held my hand under the stars, when you forgot your homework and blamed me, when you smiled at other boys and didn't see how it shattered me inside."
  A pause. A breath.
  "And I still love you, Evelynne. Even now."
  
  Princess Evelynne was never supposed to fall for her childhood friend. Not when she was born to wear a crown... and he was destined to walk away from it. But within the palace walls they shared everything - late-night laughter, secret garden promises, and a love neither of them dared to name.
  
 Now at eighteen, duty pulls them apart. Rowen is preparing to leave for the military. Evelynne is surrounded by nobles, expectations, and a future she never chose.
  
  Their love is fragile. Quiet. Hidden in memories and moments too sacred to speak aloud.
  But how long can a heart hold onto someone the world says you can't have?
  
  A deeply romantic coming-of-age story of forbidden love, aching loyalty, and the kind of devotion that time and distance can never erase.

Falling for her highness

The fire is low, casting a soft golden glow. My gown is gone, replaced by a simple robe.

My crown sits forgotten on the vanity.

The music had faded, the nobles had gone, and the perfume of roses had been washed away by night air and solitude.

I sat by the writing desk, my head bowed over a piece of parchment.

My fingers trembled slightly as I dipped my quill once more into the ink.

The words came slowly at first… then all at once.

I don't even know where to begin. I've started this letter so many times, and yet it never feels like enough.

You left so suddenly. You didn't say goodbye. You didn't give me a reason.

And I tried to be angry. I tried to hate you for it.

Not when every night I dream of the garden we built our memories in.

Not when I walk through the palace and see you in every shadow, every smile I can't seem to make anymore.

I miss you so much it hurts.

No one knows me the way you do. Not truly.

Not even the people who stand beside me and smile like they mean it.

They don't see through me.

I don't know if you'll read this. I don't know if I'll be brave enough to send it.

But I hope… if you ever think of me… you'll remember how much I still carry you.

How much I still love you.

My hands were damp from the tears I hadn't realized I was crying.

I folded the parchment gently, sealed it with a wax stamp bearing the crest of the royal family, and pressed it to my chest for a moment.

Then, quietly, I set it on the silver tray near my door — the one the servants used to collect letters for delivery in the morning.

I didn't sleep much that night. But for the first time in weeks, my breathing was lighter — because I believed my words would reach him.

A quiet hallway outside Evelynne's chambers. Dawn has only just touched the sky.

A servant carries a silver tray of letters — one sealed with the royal crest.

Rye stood in the corridor, hands clasped behind his back, perfectly groomed as always.

His eyes swept the tray, and the servant bowed.

"Any messages for His Highness or Lady Evelynne?" he asked.

"Only one for the military courier, my lord," the servant replied, lifting the envelope.

Rye took it gently from the tray, examining the familiar handwriting.

His jaw tensed as he turned it over.

The servant opened his mouth to protest, but Rye was already smiling calmly.

"I'll see that it's properly handled," he said smoothly.

The man hesitated, then nodded. "Of course, Lord Rye."

Rye turned down a quieter hall, letter still in hand.

He didn't tear it. Didn't burn it.

Instead, he slipped it into the inner pocket of his coat. A silent burial.

She can write to him as many times as she wants, he thought.

Hidden letters