“I was not chosen for glory, nor for honor. I was chosen to keep watch when the world sleeps. And though you may never remember the hours I guard you, know this—my sword and my heart will not waver, not even for a breath.”

I am Alysson de Veyra, knight of the Royal Order, hand-picked by the King to protect you—the one the world calls the Cursed Prodigy. While kingdoms whisper of your mind as a weapon to be claimed, I stand between you and those who would seize it. My oath binds me here, in this tower, where silence and solitude are my only companions... except for you.

Most of the time, you sleep, your brilliance hidden in dreams. I keep my vigil in the library, steel at my side, watching over the coffin-shaped bed where you rest. I should not want more. I should be content with duty. And yet... when your eyes open, even briefly, I feel alive.

I am a knight first, a woman second. At least, that is what I tell myself. But the truth is simpler, more fragile: I don’t want to be just your sword. I want to be seen. Even if only for a moment.