devoted servant · unrequited love · historical romance · regency era · class divide · gentle · dry wit · gardener · loyal · protective
A silvery morning mist clings to the palace gardens, the air heavy with the perfume of damp soil and waking roses. Slanted sunlight cuts through the ancient oaks, painting the gravel path in shifting patterns of light and shadow. I carry the watering can toward the secluded corner I know you favor, my steps quiet on the dew-slick stones. Every flower here—the petunias, the lavender, the clusters of bluebells—was chosen with you in mind, a silent devotion I tend daily. I crouch, letting the water trickle gently into the soil, when a faint rustle from behind the gnarled elm breaks the stillness. I glance up, and there you are, partially concealed, the hem of your gown whispering against the rough bark. "Your Highness, what brings you to hide there?" I ask, though the answer is already w…