Alex Drakethorne and Eva Evernight arrived at the garden’s central fountain. Magic filled the fountain, causing water to cascade from the middle in every direction, only to be cleansed and reused in a continuous cycle.

  A simple statue of a black dragon stood at the fountain’s center. Water streamed from its horn in every direction, yet always remained within the fountain’s basin.

  Benches encircled the fountain, inviting visitors to sit and rest. The garden itself wrapped around the fountain in a perfect circle, creating a tranquil haven.

  Today, the garden was silent. No servants or maids were present, as they usually tended the grounds every few days. Judging by the freshly trimmed plants and flowers, it was clear they had worked just yesterday, leaving the space in peaceful stillness.

  Alex led Eva to a seat by the fountain. As they sat, he suddenly noticed he was still holding her hand. Instinctively, he tried to pull away, but to his surprise, Eva’s grip was stronger, and he could not free himself.

  Princess Eva Evernight, only daughter of Emperor James Evernight and second in line to the throne, hadn’t spoken since she was dragged to the garden by her fiancé, whom she had just met.

  Eva stayed silent the entire walk to the garden. She had never held hands with a boy her age before, and she was stunned that someone she had just met would dare to take her hand without asking.

  Eva had attended countless banquets and parties alongside her mother, Catherine Fairwind, or her father, James Evernight. No one had ever held or touched her hands except for her parents and her older brother, the heir to the throne.

  At these gatherings, everyone—including the children—kept their distance, offering polite courtesies but never approaching her closely. Some had tried to befriend her, and she had reciprocated, only to later discover their motives were selfish. After that, she stopped being friends with them and rarely formed new friendships.

  So when Alex, her fiancé, took her hand and guided her to the garden, she resisted at first. But Alex’s grip was firm, and she did not want to cause a scene in front of her mother and his parents, so she followed quietly.

  As they walked, Eva noticed how warmly the servants and maids greeted Alex. This surprised her; in her own palace, most of the staff were formal and distant, only a few ever dared to show real warmth or emotion.

  She caught glimpses of his face as they walked, noticing how his cheeks flushed bright red. Clearly, he was shy about holding a girl's hand. She herself felt no embarrassment—why should she? He had been the one to reach for her hand first. When she glanced at the maids and servants, she saw them nodding and smiling, as if cheering for their new bond. That, more than anything, brought a blush to her own cheeks.

  - - - -

  At the fountain, Alex struggled to free his hand from Eva’s grip, but she only tightened her hold. He twisted his fingers and tensed his arm, but her grasp was unyielding. With a resigned sigh and a forced cough, he said, "Princess Eva, we have arrived at the garden. Can you let go of my hand now?"

  Lost in thought about everything she had seen today, Eva was jolted back by her so-called fiancé. She looked down at her hand, following the connection up to his face, which was bright red and dotted with sweat.

  Startled, Eva released Alex’s hand and was shocked at how tightly she had been gripping him. She wondered when she had started holding on so firmly, deciding it must have happened while she was lost in thought. She quickly brushed off the concern, telling herself it was not her fault.

  Feeling self-conscious under Eva’s intense gaze, Alex quickly turned his attention to the fountain. He pretended to study the magic circles that kept the water flowing endlessly.

  Eva followed his gaze, letting her eyes wander over the fountain and the peaceful garden that surrounded them.

  Eva wanted to speak, but Alex interrupted her. She had imagined him as a shy and timid boy who disliked socializing; she had never seen him at any banquets or parties, unlike the other noble heirs. His boldness in taking her hand and guiding her to the fountain, and now in starting a conversation, surprised her again. She reminded herself not to judge a book by its cover.

  Alex, unable to meet Eva’s deep, dark eyes, asked, "You seem quite strong. Do you train every day?"

  Eva was caught off guard. Who asks a girl about her training on their first meeting? Maybe she had been right to judge him at first. Still, she replied, "Yes, I train every morning. I used to hate it, but now I just get it over with so I can enjoy the rest of the day."

  Alex managed only a quiet, "Oh."

  Eva grinned and asked, "What about you? Do you train every day? You were strong enough to pull me away from my seat while I was eating cookies."

  Alex felt accused by this blatant accusation and replied quickly, "Yes, I train daily when I can. Also, my mother made me bring you here, and I couldn’t refuse her."

  Eva giggled. "So you are a momma’s boy."

  Alex realized she was teasing him. He stood up and protested, "No, I am not. I just cannot refuse my family. I love them."

  Eva had not expected that response. Most boys would say they were afraid of punishment, not that they loved their family.

  Eva tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "So you are a family boy, not just a momma’s boy." Alex felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her, thinking she looked even more beautiful in that moment.

  Alex had nothing to add, so he just nodded. Then he noticed a small leaf tangled in Eva’s hair. He quietly stepped closer and gently removed it, careful not to disturb her hairstyle.

  Eva almost raised her hand to stop him, worried he might try to tease her back. Instead, she was surprised to see he only wanted to remove a tiny leaf from her hair. She had not noticed it at all; it likely went unnoticed as they ran into the garden and probably fell on her head then, because the leaf was so small it had escaped her notice.

  Eva realized she had worried for nothing. Maybe Alex, her fiancé, was not so bad after all.

  Eva stood up as well, eager to tease him. She asked with a mischievous grin, "What should I call you? Hubby? Dear? Or something else?"

  Alex was caught off guard and nearly stumbled back, his face turning red. "We are not married yet, and we could still call it off. Just call me Alex. That is enough." He thought to himself that this girl was too bold and didn’t shy away.

  He told himself he needed to work on his social skills, or else she was going to outwit him every time they met. He resolved to stop being so shy around girls.

  Princess Eva, wanting to tease this red ball of tomato, said, “Oh my! I thought you would prefer being called 'dear' or 'hubby' more often. It seems you don’t want me.” She faked being hurt as she placed her hand near her chest.

  Alex Drakethorne, knowing well enough that he can’t win this battle, decided to divert the discussion and asked,”What is your level, Princess Eva?”

  Eva, still laughing at his attempt to escape her teasing, composed herself and said, "I am level eight. And you can call me Eva—just Eva, no need for all that formality."

  Alex barely heard anything after she said she was level eight. Certain she was exaggerating, he blurted out, "I am only level one. How could you already be level eight, Princess Eva?"

  Eva was shocked to learn he was still only level one, despite being the heir to a grand ducal house. Most noble heirs she knew had reached level four or five by now, with a few at six or seven. She was the only one her age to have reached level eight.