The air in the training camp was thick with discipline and sweat. Morning drills, swordplay, strategy lectures—Ren excelled in all of them, but something in him ached in stillness. Every time he sat down, his fingers itched to write. Every time his blade clashed, his heart whispered a name: Shinomi.
That night, long after the other trainees had collapsed into their cots, Ren lit a single candle and sat by the narrow desk beside his bed. He pulled out parchment, dipped the pen in ink, and began writing.
---
My Shinomi,
Today the sun was warm, but it didn't feel like light without you. I miss the way you tug on my robe when you're bored, the way your lips curl when you're about to do something reckless. I miss how you hold my waist like I belong there.
They say fencing builds patience, but I think you already taught me that. And now I'm learning a new kind of patience—waiting for the day I can wake up next to you again.
Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. Or… at least wait until I'm there to stop you. Or join you. Or kiss you so hard you forget the stupid idea.
I hope you're eating well. I hope your pillow still smells like me.
And if anyone sees you smiling too much, tell them your prince wrote to you.
Yours,
Ren
---
Ren stared at the letter. His fingers trembled with quiet embarrassment. It was soft—too soft. But it was true. All of it. He sealed the letter and handed it off to the fastest falcon rider the next morning.
Meanwhile, in Shinomi's estate, chaos had its own rhythm. The garden was half-decorated with paper lanterns and ribbons, leftover from the ongoing preparations for the upcoming royal weddings. Shinomi walked among the flowers with a sigh, tossing apples to his soldiers while pretending to inspect security.
His men had started teasing him nonstop. They'd even carved "Prince Ren's Husband" into his wooden sword. He kept it anyway.
Then the messenger came.
"Message from the prince," the boy announced.
Shinomi snatched the letter like a starving man finding food. His heart beat faster with every word he read. By the time he finished, he was grinning from ear to ear.
"Captain Shinomi?" one soldier asked nervously.
He turned, hugged the letter to his chest, and declared, "Prepare the fastest horse."
"Wait, you're going to the training camp?" the soldier gasped.
"No," Shinomi said, eyes twinkling. "I'm just going to visit my fiancé."
He paused. "Also, I might need to kidnap him for a night or two."
The soldiers exchanged glances. "Should we stop him?"
"No," the oldest one said, sighing. "Let love be dangerous."
And with that, Shinomi disappeared into the twilight—Ren's letter folded carefully in his robe, and a smile dancing on his lips that only Ren could ever put there.
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