The royal capital was nothing like Rajula expected.
After days of traveling through forests, mountain passes, and winding trails, she finally stood on a hill overlooking the great city.
And her first reaction was simple.
"…That's a lot of buildings."
Stone houses filled the valley like a sea of rooftops. Smoke rose from hundreds of chimneys, and the city walls stretched wide and tall like the back of a sleeping giant.
But the most impressive sight stood above everything else.
The palace.
It rested on the highest ridge, its towers rising proudly against the sky. Golden banners danced in the wind while guards patrolled the massive stone walls.
Rajula stared at it for a long moment.
"So that's where the prince lives…"
A traveler walking past her heard the comment and chuckled.
"First time seeing the capital?"
Rajula nodded.
"Yes."
The traveler crossed his arms proudly.
"It's the greatest city in the entire kingdom."
Rajula tilted her head slightly.
"Does the prince really live up there?"
"Of course."
She looked at the palace again.
"…Seems inconvenient."
The traveler blinked.
"Inconvenient?"
"Yes," Rajula said seriously. "If he ever forgets something in the city, that's a very long walk back up."
The traveler stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"You mountain folk really think differently."
Rajula smiled and continued down the hill toward the city gates.
The capital was louder than anything Rajula had ever experienced.
Merchants shouted prices from their stalls. Blacksmiths hammered glowing metal while children ran through the crowded streets chasing each other.
The smell of spices and roasted food filled the air.
Rajula walked slowly through the market, her eyes moving everywhere at once.
She stopped at a food stall where a man was roasting chestnuts over a fire.
Her stomach growled immediately.
"How much?" she asked.
"Two copper coins," the vendor replied.
Rajula confidently handed him a coin.
The man stared at it.
"…This is a button."
Rajula blinked.
She looked down at the object in her hand.
"…It looked like a coin."
The vendor sighed.
"First time in the city?"
"Yes."
"Mountain girl?"
Rajula crossed her arms.
"How did you know?"
"Because only someone from the mountains tries to buy food with clothing."
The people around the stall laughed.
Embarrassed, Rajula quickly pulled out an actual coin.
The vendor handed her the chestnuts.
"Welcome to the capital," he said.
Rajula took a bite.
"…Worth it."
By the time evening arrived, Rajula had finally reached the road leading to the palace.
The palace walls were even more massive up close.
Guards stood at every entrance.
Rajula stared at them thoughtfully.
"Well," she muttered, "that looks difficult."
She watched for a while as nobles and servants entered through the gates.
Eventually she looked around the side of the wall.
Tall vines climbed along one section of the stone.
Rajula grinned.
"That looks less difficult."
Night slowly settled over the palace gardens.
Fireflies glowed softly in the air while moonlight spilled across the quiet pathways.
Rajula carefully pulled herself over the wall and dropped into the garden.
She landed silently.
"…Easy."
Then she immediately stepped on a dry branch.
Crack.
Rajula froze.
She waited.
Nothing happened.
She relaxed.
"Still easy."
She walked further into the garden.
Fountains quietly trickled nearby while tall cedar trees swayed gently in the night wind.
And then she saw someone.
A young man stood beneath one of the trees, his back facing her.
He wore dark blue royal clothing, and moonlight reflected off the golden embroidery along his sleeves.
Rajula immediately knew who it was.
Prince Malushahi.
He was staring toward the mountains beyond the palace walls.
For a moment Rajula forgot what she had planned to say.
The prince suddenly spoke.
"You're not very quiet."
Rajula froze.
Slowly, Malushahi turned around.
Their eyes met.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
The prince's expression was calm, though curiosity flickered in his eyes.
"A trespasser in the palace gardens," he said calmly.
Rajula raised a hand and pointed at the wall behind her.
"I climbed."
Malushahi stared at her.
"…Yes. I noticed."
Rajula awkwardly lowered her hand.
Silence filled the garden again.
Malushahi studied her dusty clothes and wind-tangled hair.
"You don't look like a thief," he said.
"I'm not."
"Then why are you here?"
Rajula hesitated.
This was the moment she had traveled days to reach.
She straightened her posture.
"My name is Rajula."
Malushahi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Rajula?"
"I'm the daughter of Sunapati Shauka."
The name hit him like a distant memory suddenly returning.
Malushahi stepped closer.
"…Sunapati."
Rajula nodded.
"Years ago your father made a promise with mine."
The wind moved through the cedar trees.
Malushahi's expression slowly changed.
"You're saying…"
Rajula crossed her arms.
"I'm the girl he promised you to marry."
The prince blinked.
"…What?"
Rajula shrugged.
"Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you are."
For a moment Malushahi simply stared at her.
Then something unexpected happened.
He laughed.
Not a polite laugh.
A genuine one.
Rajula blinked.
"What's funny?"
Malushahi wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"For years ministers have been bringing noble daughters from powerful families," he said.
Rajula raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"And none of them climbed over a wall to meet me."
Rajula smirked.
"Well, someone had to introduce themselves properly."
Malushahi looked at her again.
This time more carefully.
Dusty clothes.
Confident eyes.
Hair moved by the mountain wind.
She looked nothing like the carefully dressed noblewomen of the court.
And yet he found himself strangely unable to look away.
"You walked all the way from the mountains… just to meet me?" he asked.
Rajula shrugged.
"I wanted to see if the prince was worth the trouble."
Malushahi tilted his head.
"And?"
Rajula studied him for a moment.
"…Still deciding."
The prince laughed again.
Above them, the moon hung quietly over the palace gardens.
Neither of them realized it yet.
But the moment they met beneath those cedar trees…
Destiny quietly began changing the future of the entire kingdom.