Everyone in the kingdom knew Lord Adrian Ashbourne. He was the eldest son of a noble family—kind, respected, and destined to inherit his father's title. His future had already been written before he was born. Then he met Alyssa. She wasn't a noblewoman. She was a painter who spent her mornings capturing the beauty of the countryside on canvas and her evenings sketching beneath the old oak tree outside the village. They met by accident. Adrian had fallen from his horse after chasing a frightened deer into the forest. Alyssa found him with a twisted ankle, laughed at his expensive clothes covered in mud, and helped him walk back to town without realizing he was a lord. It was the first time anyone had treated him like an ordinary man. After that, Adrian found countless excuses to visit the village. Sometimes he claimed he wanted fresh flowers. Other times he said he was inspecting the land. In truth, he simply wanted to see Alyssa. She made him laugh without trying. She spoke honestly, challenged his opinions, and never cared about his title. Before long, they fell deeply in love. When Adrian confessed that he wished to marry her one day, Alyssa smiled sadly. "We live in different worlds," she whispered. "Then I'll build a bridge between them." For a while, it felt as though nothing could separate them. Until the royal messenger arrived. The neighboring kingdom had declared war. Every noble family was ordered to send its eldest son to fight. Adrian had no choice. The night before his departure, they met beneath the same oak tree where they had first become friends. Alyssa tied a small ribbon around his wrist. "So you'll always have something to come home to." Adrian kissed her forehead. "When this war ends, I'll return. I'll ask for your hand, no matter who objects."