Aricen sat on a chair at the foot of the platform where his father, stepmother, and half-siblings sat. He was used to being treated like one of the common people and not like one of the royal family; he didn't care, or so he kept telling himself.

It was a boring evening, too many people crowded into the great hall, too many ladies and noblewomen casting meaningful glances in his direction, hoping to attract even a fraction of his attention. He knew their game - none wanted him for who he really was, only for the royal position he might one day provide if fortune favored them with a child. It would never happen, Aricen told himself firmly.

His gaze wandered across the opulent hall, filled with revellers celebrating the Feast of the First Summer Moon. The air hummed with conversation and laughter, the scent of roasted meats and spiced wine hanging heavy in the warm atmosphere. He hated these celebrations, finding them tedious displays of wealth and pretense, yet attendance was his duty as a prince.

It was then, lost in these bitter reflections, that his eyes settled on a figure standing near the far wall. She seemed somehow separate from the热闹, her posture relaxed yet elegant. Her smile lit up her face and seemed to brighten the entire room in an instant. And her eyes? Those eyes were too kind, too innocent for this cutthroat world of royal intrigue they inhabited. They shone with a warmth and purity that seemed impossible, as if life's cruelties had not yet touched her.