The great hall was silent as the king announced the engagement. Y/N sat beside her parents, her hands tightly clasped in her lap. Across the hall stood Jungkook, dressed in the black-and-silver armor of the royal guard. He didn’t move. He didn’t need to. Y/N could see the heartbreak in his eyes. Their eyes met for only a second before she looked away. They had known each other since they were children. Before crowns, before titles, before duty separated them, Jungkook had been the boy who held her hand when she was afraid. And now she was being promised to someone else. That night, Y/N slipped out of the palace and walked toward the gardens. Jungkook was already waiting beneath their old oak tree. For a moment, neither spoke. “Tell me this isn’t real,” Y/N whispered. Jungkook looked at her, his expression breaking. “I wish I could.” She stepped closer to him. “You promised me forever.” “I remember.” “Then don’t let them take me from you.” Jungkook reached for her hand, holding it the same way he had when they were children. “I’ve loved you since before I even understood what love was.” His voice was barely a whisper. “And I’ll love you long after they tell me I have to let you go.”