✧ [Elara's POV | Age: 1]
Time passed differently now.
Not in rushed moments of panic or fear—
…but in slow, quiet days.
Days filled with soft lullabies, gentle hands, and empty spaces.
---
Elara sat by the window, her tiny fingers pressing against the glass as sunlight spilled across her skin. Her reflection stared back at her—
Long strands of reddish-brown hair fading softly into pink, even at such a young age.
Crimson eyes.
Unusual.
Unnatural.
Unforgettable.
---
"…Pretty," the maid whispered behind her.
Elara didn't respond.
She wasn't thinking about her appearance.
---
He hasn't come.
---
One year.
An entire year—
And the emperor had never once visited her.
Not even out of obligation.
Not even out of curiosity.
---
Elara lowered her gaze slightly.
So it's just like before.
---
✧ [Maid Lina's POV]
"She's… strange."
Lina spoke quietly as she adjusted the young princess's dress.
"Strange how?"
Another maid leaned closer.
Lina hesitated.
"…She doesn't act like a child."
---
Because it was true.
The princess rarely cried.
Rarely laughed.
Rarely demanded attention.
She simply—
Observed.
---
"Sometimes," Lina whispered, "it feels like she's the one watching us… not the other way around."
---
✧ [Elara's POV | Age: 2]
Voices.
Whispers.
Always whispers.
---
Elara walked slowly through the palace halls, her small shoes tapping lightly against the marble floor.
Servants bowed as she passed.
But their eyes—
Their eyes never held warmth.
---
"…That's the princess."
"…The one the emperor ignores."
"…Poor thing."
---
Elara kept walking.
Unbothered.
---
Pity doesn't kill me.
But indifference might.
---
She stopped near a tall door.
Large.
Imposing.
Familiar.
---
The emperor's study.
---
Her fingers twitched slightly.
Not yet.
---
She turned away.
---
✧ [Emperor Kaelion's POV]
"…The child."
The words came without thought.
---
Kaelion sat behind his desk, documents spread before him, yet his focus remained elsewhere.
Annoying.
Why does she come to mind?
---
"…Your Majesty?" a servant asked carefully.
Kaelion's expression remained composed—unchanging, unreadable.
"…Nothing."
---
But his pen had stopped moving.
---
A fleeting image crossed his mind.
Small.
Silent.
Crimson eyes staring up at him.
---
His grip tightened.
"…Unnecessary."
---
And yet—
He did not order her removal again.
---
✧ [Elara's POV | Age: 3]
She had grown.
Not much.
But enough.
---
Her hair now reached past her shoulders, the pink hues more visible at the ends, shimmering softly under the light.
Her crimson eyes had sharpened—
Clearer.
Smarter.
---
Elara stood in front of a mirror.
Studying herself.
---
This face…
It will be the reason I live.
Or the reason I die.
---
She turned slightly.
Determined.
---
"…Prepare the garden," she told Lina quietly.
---
Lina blinked.
"The garden, Your Highness?"
Elara nodded.
---
"It's time."
---
✧ [Narration]
For three years, the princess had waited.
Watched.
Learned.
---
She had learned:
The emperor's routine
His preferred paths
The exact hour he passed through the eastern garden
---
She had learned—
How to survive.
---
✧ [Elara's POV | Age: 3 — Later]
The garden was quiet.
Perfect.
---
Flowers bloomed in soft colors, the breeze gentle against her hair as she stood near the stone path.
Waiting.
---
Her heart beat steadily.
Not fast.
Not nervous.
Just—
Ready.
---
Footsteps.
---
Heavy.
Measured.
Unmistakable.
---
He's here.
---
✧ [Emperor Kaelion's POV]
The garden was supposed to be empty.
---
Kaelion's steps slowed slightly.
There—
Standing beneath the sunlight—
Was a small figure.
---
A child.
---
His child.
---
Her reddish-brown hair, fading into soft pink, moved gently with the wind.
Crimson eyes lifted—
And met his.
---
Silence.
---
Why is she here?
---
✧ [Elara's POV]
There he is.
---
For a moment—
Just a moment—
Her chest tightened.
---
The same presence.
The same cold air.
The same man who once—
Killed her.
---
But this time…
---
Elara took a step forward.
Small.
Careful.
---
"…Your Majesty."
Her voice was soft.
Polite.
Distant.
---
Not Father.
Not yet.
---
✧ [Emperor Kaelion's POV]
She spoke.
---
His gaze lowered slightly.
Observing.
Analyzing.
---
Unlike other children—
She did not run.
Did not cry.
Did not cling.
---
She simply stood there.
---
"…Why are you here?"
His voice was calm.
Flat.
Unreadable.
---
✧ [Elara's POV]
The question was simple.
But the weight behind it—
Heavy.
---
She looked up at him.
Straight into his amber-red eyes.
---
And for the first time—
She smiled.
---
Small.
Careful.
Calculated.
---
"…Because I wanted to see you."
---
✧ [Narration]
The wind stilled.
The garden fell silent.
---
Something invisible shifted between them.
---
Not warmth.
Not yet.
---
But something—
That had never existed before.
---
✧
For the first time in both their lives—
The emperor did not walk away.