The Camellia Pavilion was blooming with springโs warmest light, its white columns wreathed in wild daisies and the lingering scent of lilac. A girl with golden braids stood beneath the soft shade, clutching a small violet potion bottle, the liquid inside glowing faintly like stardust.
โLina,โ came a low, soothing voice behind her.
She turned and there he was. Aiden, the Dukeโs only son, dressed in the navy and silver uniform of the Royal Alchemist Academy. Tall, composed, yet with a slight dishevelment in his auburn curls, evidence of someone who'd rushed here. For her.
โYouโre late,โ Lina murmured, trying to sound stern, but her voice was trembling.
Aiden smiled, gently placing a protective arm around her shoulders, his other hand wrapping hers around the potion. โI had to sneak out. My father doesnโt exactly support eloping with a girl whoโs about to be exiled for treason.โ
She lowered her gaze. The Council had accused her family of potion-tampering a crime punishable by banishment. Lina had proven nothing. All she had was this one vial, her final creation: a memory elixir meant to preserve a single, perfect moment forever.
โYou can still walk away,โ she said. โTake your inheritance. Your title. Forget about me.โ
โDo you really think,โ Aiden said, tipping her chin up, โI could forget the girl who made stars dance in a bottle?โ
Lina blinked back tears. โTheyโll call you a traitor.โ
โIโd rather be a traitor in love than a duke without a heart.โ
He gently took the bottle from her hand and uncorked it. The scent of honeyed starlight filled the air.
โWhat are you doing?โ she asked, startled.
He leaned down and whispered, โCreating the moment I want to remember.โ
Then he kissed her.
Time slowed. The garden blurred around them, petals spinning like snow. Aidenโs warmth pressed against her as the magic of the potion sealed their promise.
When they pulled away, breathless, he smiled.
โNow letโs run,โ he said. โBefore I change my mind and propose instead.โ
She laughed for the first time in weeks, and together they disappeared beyond the camellias into danger, into freedom, into love.
THE END.
