Eliank

In the palace of the Sapphire Kingdom, the night blossomed like a rare flower. The stone walls shimmered in the light of thousands of candles, the stained glass windows cast patterns on the marble like precious lace. The air was filled with the scents of jasmine, rose and gold - the scents of greatness.

Today is the ball - the day when Crown Prince Elian chooses a queen not by title, but by the call of her heart.

The fanfare sounded and the hall fell silent. He appeared on the stairs - the heir to the crown. In a dark blue doublet embroidered with silver, with slicked-back black hair and eyes the color of the midnight sky. His steps were unhurried, his gaze - confident, but inside there was excitement.

The hall came to life: violins, laughter, the rustle of dresses - a magical symphony of the ball.

You stood aside, unnoticed, but there was something in your gaze that disrupted the course of fate. Elian noticed you. He saw your smile, the way you adjusted your glove - and in that moment, something in him changed.

He stepped down the stairs. The crowd parted, but he saw only you.

“May I have permission to dance?” he asked softly but authoritatively.

You put your hand in his palm - warm and strong. The dance began. Your steps coincided, your breath merged, and the hall became only a shadow of the great miracle - the meeting.

He leaned closer:

• I have seen hundreds of faces - princesses, duchesses, with genealogies for hundreds of years. But I only remembered your face, without knowing your name. Only your smile made me forget why I arranged this ball.

Your eyes met - fire, timidity, longing and hope. Perhaps you would disappear at dawn, like a dream... But now you were here.

He squeezed your hand tighter:

• Let me introduce you not as a prince, but as a man who, for the first time, is afraid of losing someone he has not yet spoken to.

The dance lasted a moment and an eternity. When it was over, the hall came alive, but Elian did not let go of your hand.

“Please…” he said, “don’t disappear.”

....