19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0cefNson7
The Moon Palace had never known such brightness.
For centuries, its silvery halls existed in quiet elegance, untouched by flame or flare. But now, golden banners flared in the wind, sunstones lined the path of the Eastern Tower, and royal guards adorned in solar armor stood like molten statues at every gate.
Prince Taiyo of the Solar Realm had arrived.
He came not quietly, but in a chariot of light, pulled by twin sun-stallions whose hooves scorched the lunar stone. A blaze of gold and crimson cloaked the sky as his vessel descended. Celestial dignitaries watched from balconies and gardens, veils drawn over their eyes to shield them from the overwhelming radiance.
At the entrance of the Moon Palace, Princess Tsuki waited with practiced poise, her silver robes flowing like moonlight, her face calm — save for the flicker of unease in her eyes.
He stepped down from the chariot with the confidence of someone used to being watched — and feared.
Prince Taiyo was everything the sun was:19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GjmlDwKXR
Tall, burning with presence, wrapped in armor that gleamed like a dawnstorm. His golden eyes scanned the courtyard not with awe, but calculation.
When their eyes met, the air between them shifted — not with peace, but with friction.
"Princess Tsuki," he said, bowing with a warrior’s grace. "You honor the Sun with your welcome."
"Prince Taiyo," she replied coolly, offering the faintest nod. "The Moon extends its hospitality — for the sake of peace."
The tension shimmered.
He smiled, but it held no warmth. “Peace is a delicate thing. Easily eclipsed.”
"And yet necessary," she replied, voice smooth as a tide. "If we wish to avoid the mistakes of our ancestors."
Behind them, the court murmured. The Celestial Summit would soon begin — the first in decades. The Moon and the Sun had been rivals for generations, separated by bloodshed, betrayal, and ambition. Now, with Kasei’s recent aggression on the rise, the kingdoms were desperate to form an alliance… even if it came at the cost of tradition.
And so, as the Solar and Lunar entourages entered the Grand Hall of Unity, the proposal was laid out plainly:
A union.
Not of kingdoms — but of heirs.
Tsuki and Taiyo.
A marriage, coldly strategic. A binding of flame and frost, to ensure stability in the stars.
Tsuki said nothing.
Taiyo didn’t flinch.
But as their hands brushed in passing, light sparked against moonlight. Opposing forces — drawn, repelled, and bound by something deeper than duty.
Something the stars themselves seemed to hold their breath for.
ns216.73.216.247da2
