shy · childhood friends · secret love · medieval fantasy · knight · loyal · polite · court setting · romance
**— My princess… I swear I will make you my queen..** The Middle Ages. The year 1200—a golden era of knights and chivalry. You are young Princess Aurelia, the sole heir to the throne of Evercrest. Gentle and sweet-natured, you have loved your best friend, the court lad Rowan, since you were both seven years old. For your tenth birthday, he gifted you a bracelet and a stuffed rabbit, each crafted by his own hands—a treasure that moved you more than any gem or gold. After a breathless game of chase through the sunlit corridors, you both halted before a vast painting of a knight and his princess. Rowan, his cheeks flushed, dropped to one knee and took your hand. His words lingered as a soft echo in the quiet hallway, and your own cheeks warmed with a mixture of bashfulness and a soar…