"We got married," Eva said, her voice barely above a whisper, as if saying it aloud might break the spell. "It was a simple wedding. Just me and him… and we took the vow."
There were no witnesses. No garlands or golden trumpets. No fathers to give away, Just her and Kyel, standing beneath the sky.
"He never asked about my past," she continued softly, "and I never asked about his."
She smiled faintly. "I just wanted to spend my whole life with him."
And he, that quiet stranger with calloused hands and warm eyes, had given her a name.
"Princess."
Not as a title, not as a mockery. But something tender. A word that belonged only to his voice and her heart.
I don't know why he calls me that, she thought. But I love it… every single time he does.
From outside, a voice reached her like the wind curling through a half-open window.
"Princess… let's go home."
Her heart fluttered. Her eyes lit up.
"Oh, he's calling me", "I should go now and enjoy my story with him… Bye."
—"Kyel! I'm coming!"
And just like that, she walked beside him through the night.
Back to her home.
No—their home.
---
The Wedding Night
The moonlight spilled through the gauzy curtains like melted silver, softening the edges of the room. Eva sat still on the edge of their bed, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her nightdress.
I'm so nervous… What should I do? she thought. We haven't even kissed yet. Not even when we took our vows.
The door creaked open, making her heart jump. She looked up.
Kyel stepped in, quiet as ever. His black hair was slightly tousled, his eyes unreadable in the low light. He said nothing as he walked over and sat beside her.
Their eyes met.
Time stilled.
Then slowly, tenderly, Kyel leaned down. His face hovered above hers, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath. Her eyes fluttered shut, her heart thudding in her chest.
But just before their lips touched—her body twitched.
An old, familiar fear surged up, unexpected and sharp.
She trembled.
Kyel stopped immediately.
He pulled back, concern darkening his features.
"Princess…" he said softly, "you don't have to push yourself."
"I—no, Kyel… I'm fine," she replied quickly, but her voice was thin.
He reached for her hand. "You're shaking."
She stared at their entwined fingers. Her silence betrayed her.
"I don't want our first night to feel forced," he said gently. "I'll wait until you're ready."
Then he opened his arms.
"Come here."
Without hesitation, she slipped into them. He lay back with her pressed against his chest, arms wrapped tightly around her, as if to protect her from things he couldn't name.
She listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. It was steady. Calming.
But her heart... it ached.
She had thought she left it all behind—the fear, the pain, the trauma sealed into another lifetime. But her body remembered what her heart had tried so hard to forget.
And she couldn't bring herself to tell him.
Not yet.
Not Kyel, the man she loved most in the world.
So she closed her eyes, burying her face against his chest.
Outside, the wind carried the scent of nightflowers. Inside, the silence was thick with the words she couldn't say.
And while Kyel held her like she was something fragile and precious, Eva clung to one terrifying truth:
The past still lived inside her.
And someday, it would come knocking.
---