I’ll Protect Her Smile

Night draped the palace in silence.

The stars above were clearer than I’d ever seen — untouched by smoke or city lights. And yet, I couldn’t sleep. Not after what I had seen… not with that thing still floating behind her like a crown of sorrow.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the ornate door. The silence wasn’t peaceful. It was heavy. Like something unsaid lingered in the air.

Then—

Knock knock.

A soft, deliberate rhythm.

“Come in,” I called out, unsure if I wanted anyone to.

The door opened. It was him — Jonathan. Still dressed in his pristine black coat, not a wrinkle out of place. He stepped in slowly, closing the door behind him.

He didn’t speak at first. Just walked over, pulled a chair beside my bed, and sat.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then, with a voice like stone finally choosing to speak, he began.

“You saw it, didn’t you? The shadow behind the princess.”

I nodded.

His eyes darkened. “Then I think you deserve to know the truth.”

He folded his hands. The moonlight touched his face, highlighting the weight behind his calm.

“She wasn’t always like this,” he said quietly. “There was a time… when Princess Annya was the light of this kingdom. Adored by all — not just for her beauty, but her kindness. Her laughter used to echo in these halls.”

I could barely imagine it.

“One day, she visited a remote village. A small place with strange legends — I warned her not to go, but she insisted. She came back… different.”

He looked away. For the first time, his composure cracked — just slightly.

“She grew sick. Pale. Fevered. Nightmares. And then… the curse showed itself.”

I leaned forward. My hands trembled.

“But her family didn’t abandon her. Not at first,” he continued. “They tried everything. Rituals. Mages. Exorcists. But nothing worked. And then, one night…”

His voice dropped.

“I was outside, training my healing magic — I was young, barely a servant then. The king and queen… they had taken me in when no one else would. Treated me like a son.”

His hands tightened.

“I felt the heat first. Rushed back to find the palace burning. Screams. Flames. Guards… gone. Everything devoured by fire.”

My chest tightened. Every word felt like a mirror.

He swallowed hard. “And at the center of it — untouched by flame — was her. Annya. Standing alone. Hollow-eyed. Not a single burn on her skin.”

Silence.

“They blamed her, of course. Whispers turned to shouts. The girl they once adored… became a monster in their eyes.”

I couldn’t breathe.

“I never believed it,” he said. “Not even for a second.”

He looked at me then — really looked at me.

“I stayed. Raised her. Trained to control the curse. To protect her from the world… and from herself.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks. I didn’t hide them.

Because his story… was my story.

A fire. A child who survived. A world that chose to blame instead of understand.

My voice came out barely above a whisper. “She’s… like me.”

Jonathan nodded.

“I knew it the moment I saw your eyes,” he said. “You’ve been through it too.”

I clenched my fists.

That night, something inside me changed.

Not because of the curse.

But because of the girl behind it.
The one who smiled despite the shadow.
The one who stood alone in a world that feared her.

And the man who chose to stay.

“I’ll protect her,” I said aloud.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “You?”

“I swear it,” I whispered. “I’ll protect her smile… no matter what. I’ll give her the family I never had.”

He didn’t smile. But I thought I saw something soften in his eyes.

He rose to his feet.

“Then you’d better start by waking up early. I don’t train lazy butlers.”

He left without another word.

I sat there — eyes wet, heart burning.

For the first time in years…

I wasn’t alone.