Second Silence

Crown Prince Alvis has a woman he can never forget. Siela—a palace knight who rose from commoner origins. In his first life, he loved her. He held her close, pressed his lips to her forehead, but the words never came. The wall of status sealed their lips. Siela also adored Alvis, yet hid her feelings behind her knight's oath. On the day of the coup d'état, rebels stormed the palace. In that instant, Siela pushed Alvis into a hidden passage, lowered the grate, and whispered only, "I adored you,"