Her Rebirth.

Reccomended Song: Someone to Stay by Vancouver Sleep Clinic

Amelia sat curled on a chaise, draped in a white satin nightgown. Her golden hair fell over one bare shoulder as she flipped through the pages of the book in her hands. Her brows were furrowed as she read intently, the letters in the book.

Then there was a sharp creak, and the window beside her swung open.

Startled, Amelia jerked around, her eyes widening in alarm. Her pupils dilated in fear as she saw a figure standing in the shadows.

Was it an assassin?

She barely had time to part her lips in a scream before the figure crossed the distance in two swift strides and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Calm down, Lia," he whispered, his voice low and oddly familiar.

Her body froze as she looked up at the figure. Crown Prince Keiser? What was he doing here in her room at such a time of the night? Why was he even here?

Seeing that she was no longer agitated, he slowly removed his hand, and she gasped a shaky breath. Once she caught her breath, she glared at him.

She didn’t know where she got the courage from, but she was too pissed to even think about the consequences of annoying Crown Prince Keiser.

"What in the world is His Imperial Highness doing," she hissed, "sneaking into a lady’s room at this hour?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze roamed over her, taking her figure in. This was the first time he had seen her in this manner... He wanted her.

As if sensing the hunger in his gaze, Amelia instinctively flinched.

Her fingers tightened around her book, but unexpectedly Keiser plucked it neatly from her.

"Hey!" she snapped, scrambling forward to take it back but he stopped her easily, one hand pressing gently but firmly on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

"The Lily," he said playfully as he glanced at the cover. "Isn’t this... smut?"

Her cheeks turned beet red from embarrassment. "Y-You—" she cleared her throat stiffly and straightened, trying to pick up whatever broken pieces of dignity she had left. "Not only does Your Highness invade my chambers uninvited, but now you’re also stealing my belongings?"

Ignoring her outrage and quite unbothered, Keiser flipped the book open lazily. "It’s not like I’m surprised. That’s the only reason you go to the bookstore, isn’t it?" He looked up with a mischievous grin. "To read smut."

Amelia froze.

How does he—?

How did he know that?

And then it hit her—Lia.

He’d called her Lia.

Was he...

Unsure, she asked, "...Kai?" her voice trembling.

"I thought you’d never guess."

Her heart thundered in her chest.

No...

The man she had laughed with, confided in... showing him a side very few were privy to, was Keiser. The Cruel Crown Prince... and Aldric’s brother.

She stared at him, the blood draining from her face. Her hands trembled.

She had even told him about marrying Aldric.

Her jaw clenched as humiliation rose in her throat like bile.

"So," she said bitterly, lifting her chin, "what have you come to do? Mock me?"

His smirk fell, replaced with a small frown. "I don’t know what gave you that idea," he said softly. "But no."

"Then why?" Her voice cracked slightly. "Why are you here?"

He stepped closer. She instinctively backed away, but there was only so much space that any further and she’d be tumbling down the chaise. Her heart was racing.

Then, without warning, he seized her hand and pressed it to his chest. His heart was beating rapidly, threatening to escape out of his chest.

"Can you feel that?" he asked in a low voice filled with intensity. "It’s because of you, Lia."

She swallowed, and his eyes locked onto hers.

"I love you."

Amelia stared at him, her chest heaving, heart pounding so loud it drowned out the silence.

I love you.

Kai—no, Crown Prince Keiser—was in love with her.

She yanked her hand away as though burned, stepping back like distance could undo what had just been said.

"Your Highness," she said, voice trembling with disbelief, "do you even hear what you’re saying? I am your brother’s fiancée."

Kai scoffed, brushing a hand through his dark hair. "Fiancée," he repeated mockingly. "Not wife. An engagement can be broken."

"Your Highness must be delusional."

His eyes darkened slightly, and a quiet sigh left his lips. "But I’m not," he whispered. "I’ve never felt this way before. Not for anyone. Only you."

She flinched. She could feel her heart beating rapidly and a voice screaming in her mind that she should accept his love, that it was the right thing to do. But...

"Then I advise you," she said coldly, "to let those feelings perish, Your Highness."

The words cut through him like a knife, and he felt his heart twist in pain. He couldn’t imagine a life without Amelia by his side. She had ingrained herself so deep into his routine that even if he had to beg...

"I can’t," he said. "You’ve already become part of me. Every morning I wake up hoping to see you. Every night, I imagine you sitting by the window with your book, waiting. You’re in my thoughts, Amelia. In my breath. In the quiet."

He took a step forward, desperation leaking into every word. "Why don’t you choose me?" he pleaded. "Amelia—please. Choose me. I love you."

Her face twisted in anguish. "But I don’t love you," she snapped, her voice rising more than she intended it to be. "My heart belongs to Aldric."

Silence.

Keiser stared at her, barely reeling in the voices in his head rattling him, urging him to just kidnap her and lock her up in a place only he knew.

"But he doesn’t love you," he said softly. "You know that. You’ve always known."

Amelia bit her lip as the raw truth was slammed in her face.

She knew. Gods, she knew. Aldric’s affections were distant, mechanical. His smiles never reached his eyes when he looked at her. And that night, when their wedding was announced, she had seen the way his eyes trailed after someone else.

Celine.

She had always known his heart belonged to another, but still...

"I’ll make him love me," she bit out. "He has to."