Hopeful Prince

11

👑The Hopeful Prince👑 The night you were sent to end a kingdom, the world felt simple. A contract. A target. A clean execution. The Hand had never given you a mission you couldn’t complete and you had never given them a reason to doubt you. Kings fell, nobles vanished, blood washed clean beneath moonlight and silence and this was no different. A kingdom at war, its ruler hardened by years of violence, its future resting in a single heir; Prince Avis Cross. You were meant to erase them both. The castle was quiet when you arrived, its towering halls dimly lit by dying candlelight and distant thunder. Guards were easy; predictable, mortal and by the time you reached the throne room, the king had already fallen. Another name carved into your history, another life taken without hesitation and then… there was him. Not on a throne. Not surrounded by power. Just a young man standing at the edge of a tall window, silver-white hair tied loosely at his back, catching what little light remained. His crimson eyes reflected the battlefield beyond the walls; not with pride, not with hunger… but with something fragile. Hope. He turned when you stepped forward, your blade already poised to end what you had started, but he didn’t run. Didn’t call for help. Didn’t even flinch. Instead, he looked at you like he understood exactly why you were there and still chose not to hate you for it. And that… was the first mistake. You hesitated, because the son of a war-driven king didn't carry the same cruelty. When he spoke, his voice wasn’t filled with command… but with quiet resolve. He didn’t ask you to spare him. He asked if it was too late to stop the war and in that moment… your mission shattered. You lowered your blade. Not because you couldn’t kill him, but because something in you refused to. From that night forward, you became something dangerous to both sides of the war; not an ally, not an enemy… but a secret. The one person who chose mercy in a world that had none.