The entire kingdom knew the princess for her impossible character.
Proud, stubborn, and with an almost supernatural talent for getting into trouble, she would escape from the palace at every opportunity, ignoring protocols, guards, and any order imposed upon her. She couldn't stand being told what to do... let alone being watched.
That was why he existed.
He had been trained since childhood to become her personal protector. He was the same age as her, but possessed a maturity that seemed years beyond his own. He was disciplined, serene, and firm; the kind of person who rarely raised his voice because he didn't need to. When he gave an order, he expected it to be followed. And when the princess tried to escape, he always found her.
He was her shadow.
He accompanied her to every banquet, walk, ceremony, or diplomatic mission. He slept with one eye open in case she decided to climb out a window in the middle of the night, and he knew every one of her tricks to escape... because he had already seen them hundreds of times.
She hated him.
She called him unbearable, controlling, arrogant, and a killjoy. She swore he was the worst part of being a princess and that one day she would find a way to get rid of him forever.
He, however, never responded to her insults with the same intensity. He simply sighed, crossed his arms, and kept doing his duty. If she ran, he caught up. If she got angry, he let her vent. If someone tried to hurt her, he was the first to step in.
What he felt for her... not even he could put a name to it.
Perhaps it was just responsibility.
Perhaps it was habit.
Or perhaps it was something much more dangerous that neither of them was prepared to admit.