The grand halls of Everette Manor were always cold. No matter how many chandeliers lit the corridors, no matter how many fine rugs covered the floors, the air remained heavy and unwelcoming. This was my home. A place filled with wealth, but not warmth. A place where my mother looked at me with disappointment and my father barely looked at me at all.

I was Raven Everette, the only daughter of Duke Everette. And I was unwanted.

Each day passed the same. Mornings began with the stiff voice of my mother calling for me to start my lessons. My tutors droned on about history, etiquette, and diplomacy, but their words barely reached me. It didn’t matter how well I did. No matter how perfectly I memorized the rules of nobility, no matter how gracefully I carried myself, it was never enough. My mother’s cold eyes would find something to criticize, her disapproving sighs echoing louder than any words she could say.

"Your posture is weak, Raven."

"Stop slouching. Do you want to embarrass yourself at court?"

"Smile properly. No one will want to look at a gloomy girl."

She never hit me, but her words were sharp enough to wound. I never cried in front of her, though. I had learned early on that tears only annoyed her.

If my mother’s coldness stung, my father’s indifference was far worse. Duke Richard Everette was a man of power, a man whose name was feared across the kingdom. But to me, he was just a shadow that passed through my life without a second glance. I could count on one hand the number of times he had spoken directly to me. He was never cruel—no, that would have required him to care enough to be cruel. He simply ignored me, as if I didn’t exist.

I remember once, when I was younger, waiting by the entrance hall as he returned from a long trip. My heart had pounded as I stood there, hands clenched into the fabric of my dress, hoping that just this once, he would acknowledge me.

He had walked right past me.

I had stood there for a long time afterward, staring at the space where he had been, wondering why I even bothered.

The only warmth I ever knew came from Alicia.

She was the daughter of my nanny, but to me, she was more than that. She was my sister, my only friend. While I was cold and reserved, Alicia was full of warmth and laughter. Her golden hair shone like the sun, her blue eyes sparkled with life. Everything about her was bright, everything I wasn’t.

We spent every moment we could together, sneaking into the library to escape boring lessons, hiding in the gardens where we could be free from the rules of nobility. She would twirl through the fields of flowers, her laughter filling the air as she dragged me along, forcing me to smile even when I didn’t want to.

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"Raven, look at this one!" she would say, holding up a daisy. "It reminds me of your smile."

I never understood how she could see something bright in me when I felt nothing but dullness.

But Alicia never saw me as the unwanted daughter of the Duke. To her, I was just Raven. And for a long time, that was enough.

But deep down, I always knew the truth. Alicia was loved, even if she was just a servant’s daughter. Everyone adored her, from the maids to the knights, even my mother, who never failed to comment on how ‘refreshing’ Alicia’s presence was. I was the Duke’s daughter, yet I was nothing compared to her.

That reality had always been there, but I ignored it, clinging to the warmth Alicia gave me.

Until that evening.

I had been sitting alone in the drawing room, flipping through a book I had read too many times before, when Alicia burst in, her face bright with excitement.

"Raven! Mother says we have a guest today!"

I looked up, uninterested. "A guest?"

"Yes! A very important one!" She grabbed my hands, pulling me to my feet. "Come on, we have to see him!"

I sighed but let her drag me along. She always had a way of pulling me into things I didn’t care about. We hurried down the halls, past servants who bowed in greeting. I barely paid attention to them, my mind already drifting.

We reached the large double doors of the parlor. They were slightly open, and from inside, I could hear my father’s voice. Alicia and I peeked through the gap, curiosity overriding my usual indifference.

And that’s when I saw him.

A boy stood beside my father, dressed in the finest noble attire. He looked to be around my age, maybe a little older. His golden hair shimmered under the candlelight, strands falling over his forehead in soft waves. His skin was pale, flawless like porcelain.

But what caught me off guard were his eyes.

Deep, brilliant red, like burning rubies.

There was something mesmerizing about him, something that made it impossible to look away. He stood with a quiet confidence, his expression calm, unreadable. But there was a weight in his gaze, as if he was someone who had seen more than a child should.

And then, as if sensing my stare, he turned.

Our eyes met.

For a moment, everything else faded. I felt frozen, trapped under that intense gaze. I had spent my entire life being overlooked, being unseen—yet in that instant, I felt like he had noticed me.

I didn’t understand why, but my heart pounded in my chest.

And then my father spoke, his deep voice cutting through the moment.

"This is Aiden Velcroth, the crown prince," he said, nodding toward the boy. "Aiden, this is my daughter, Raven."

Alicia gasped beside me, gripping my arm tightly. The crown prince?

Aiden’s lips curled into a polite smile, but his eyes never left mine.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lady Raven."

His voice was smooth, composed, yet there was something about it that sent shivers down my spine.

I forced myself to respond. "Likewise, Your Highness."

My voice sounded calm, but inside, I was anything but.

I had never believed in fate. Never believed in grand destinies or special meetings.

But as I stood there, under the gaze of the boy with ruby eyes, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed.

That this moment was the beginning of something far bigger than I could ever understand.

And for the first time in my life, I was afraid of what that might mean.