The garden was quiet, leaves whispering in the gentle night wind. Aurelian (Cael) stood beneath the old oak, hands clenched at his sides, eyes darting to every path where Lioren (Illyen) might appear.
When Lioren (Illyen) finally came into view, shoulders squared, pale hair catching the moonlight, Aurelian (Cael) felt his heart stutter. He tried to steady himself—but his cheeks betrayed him, blooming red as a tomato. He pressed a hand to his chest, hiding it as best he could, but the flush refused to retreat.
"I… you're here," he said, voice quieter than intended.
Lioren (Illyen) noticed immediately. His lips curved into the faintest smile, but his pulse quickened anyway. The prince's shyness—so unlike the composed figure everyone else saw—made something inside him warm, flutter, light.
"You're… Your Highness," Lioren (Illyen) said softly, out of habit, though tonight the formality felt like a charm rather than a constraint.
Aurelian (Cael)'s gaze flicked up, caught by the way Lioren (Illyen)'s eyes lingered on him, patient and curious. Another pink bloom crept across his face. "Yes… I—" he faltered, words failing, hands twisting nervously at the edge of his sleeve.
Lioren (Illyen)'s chest tightened. He had never noticed how small, how human, the crown prince could appear when he was shy. And yet, in this moment, it made him feel… happy. Warm. Safe. Like the first sparks of something unspoken, something just for them.
Aurelian (Cael) cleared his throat, embarrassed, looking down at his boots. Lioren (Illyen) stepped just a little closer, careful not to overstep, careful not to make the prince uncomfortable—but drawn in by every hesitant glance, every blush, every faltering syllable.
"You always… seem so serious," Lioren (Illyen) said softly, "but now I see… you're… very… human."
Aurelian (Cael) froze, then let out a small, almost helpless laugh. His ears burned, cheeks hotter than before. "I—I am. I… just… not… used to… being seen like that."
Lioren (Illyen)) smiled, quietly. "I like seeing it."
And that moment—Aurelian's shy, red-faced smile—planted a seed of joy inside Lioren (Illyen). From then on, every time they met, he found himself noticing the little cracks in the prince's composure, and every blush, every shy glance, made his heart race like nothing else.