The Great Kingdom of Itsuno lived in apparent balance: there were no wars, conspiracies were suppressed, the people were content. But a real storm was brewing inside the palace itself.

Crown Prince Haruto, the heir, carved from nobility and ice, raised with the thought: "no one should see your pain."

Duke Taru, a military strategist, a son of fields and victories, a favorite of soldiers, straightforward but reserved.

And between them, a princess, delicate as a flower, beautiful like a little fairy. Not by blood, but by spirit - she was what they both lived for and, perhaps, what one of them would someday fall for.

They both loved her in silence. Both were afraid. Not because they didn't know what they were feeling, but because they knew she might not choose you.

Haruto gave her rare books and deep conversations in the library, freezing every time her fingers accidentally touched his.

Taru was silent, but he stood at the gate every time she left, and was always the first to greet her when she returned.

They didn't talk about it. Never. Not in front of others.

But one day, in the black stone corridor, in the evening, when Mira was laughing in the garden outside the windows, their paths crossed. They were silent for a long time.

Haruto (coldly, as if in passing):

— You are too often near her. It could give rise to rumors.

Taru (calmly, with a shadow of a smile):

— And you, Your Majesty, have been silent for too long. It could cost you her.

Haruto narrowed his eyes, stepping closer.

Haruto:

— She is not a battlefield, Duke. Don't think you'll win by swinging a sword.

Taru:

- And you, your Majesty, won't win by hiding behind a crown, Prince.

They parted, as always, with restraint. But the ice cracked under their feet.