Anne had never known silence could feel this loud.
She sat at the edge of a grand bed, her bare feet resting on an intricately woven rug that probably cost more than her old apartment. The air smelled faintly of roses and something older—history, maybe. Everything about this room screamed royalty, from the velvet drapes to the gold-trimmed mirror standing taller than her.
But inside, she felt like a stranger.
They said she'd been in a coma. That she fell into a lake and hit her head. That it was a miracle she'd woken up at all. But what kind of miracle left you with no memories? No sense of self?
When the couple who claimed to be her parents visited her the night before, they'd smiled with tears in their eyes and asked if she felt alright. But the moment she opened her mouth and said, "I don't know you," the room had gone cold. The doctor had been called immediately, his face grim but calm as he whispered words like "amnesia" and "recovery will take time."
Then came the real blow.
"You're engaged to the prince," her mother said gently, brushing a strand of hair behind Anne's ear. "The empress herself arranged it. The wedding is already planned."
Anne had stared at her blankly. *A prince?*
Now, as morning painted golden stripes across the room, Anne tried to swallow the knot in her throat.
She didn't feel like a princess. She didn't feel like anyone, really. Just a shell of someone she used to be—whoever that was. Her dreams were filled with strange images: a city of glass and light, a man with kind eyes and a laugh that made her chest ache, and a moment of darkness… then water… cold, endless water.
She got dressed slowly, with the help of silent maids who moved like ghosts. A soft green gown, delicate shoes, hair braided with pearls. She looked perfect.
She felt lost.
Later, she found her mother waiting by the hallway. The woman looked tired but proud, like someone carrying a secret pain. They walked in silence for a while, the palace around them buzzing faintly with the rustle of robes and hushed voices.
"Mother," Anne said finally, "Do I… have to marry the prince?"
Her mother stopped walking. "Anne…"
"I don't even know who I am," she said softly. "How can I promise my life to someone else?"
Her mother took her hand, squeezing it with warmth and sadness. "If it were up to me or your father, you'd be free to choose. We always hoped you'd marry someone normal. Someone kind. But the royal family is powerful. The empress chose you."
"Why me?"
Her mother didn't answer.
---
A few days passed before the summons came: the prince and the empress wanted to meet her. Her mother helped her dress again, her face pale but composed.
When they arrived at the palace, everyone bowed to them, treating Anne with reverence she didn't understand. She was led to a grand room, where the empress waited—regal, commanding, and… oddly familiar.
The empress hugged her. Anne stiffened in the embrace.
"You've changed," the empress said softly. "What happened to you?"
Before Anne could answer, her mother intervened. "She lost her memories… after the fall."
The empress's eyes narrowed, sharp and knowing. She turned to Anne with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Do you remember our secret?"
Anne blinked. "Yes," she lied.
It must've been enough. The empress nodded, though something in her gaze said she wasn't convinced. "Go meet him," she said, waving a hand. "He's waiting."
Anne followed the guard through a series of golden doors until she was led into a sunlit room.
Then she saw him.
The prince.
And everything stopped.
He stood by the window, dressed in royal blue, eyes distant… until they locked with hers.
She gasped. Her knees weakened.
*It's him.*
The man she loved. The man who died. The man whose death shattered her in a life she no longer belonged to.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she sank to the floor. The prince rushed to her side, confused and concerned, catching her in his arms. She wept against him, unable to explain, unable to speak. And he—he held her like she mattered, like he knew her. But his eyes held only questions.
Later, she fell asleep in his arms.
And he didn't move.
Because while she believed she was the only one carrying the weight of a forgotten love, he, too, recognized her.
He, too, had been waiting.
He just hadn't known… until now.
---