The palace, though often stifling with its grandeur and formality, seemed different today. I was on a mission now, driven by a need to find her, to see if the calm I had witnessed under the tree was a mere illusion or something more profound.
Once we arrived, I made excuses to linger in the gardens, pretending to be absorbed in the sights and sounds, but all the while, my eyes searched for her. I hoped for a glimpse, a sign that she would be there again, as if by some magic she would appear in the same spot where I had first seen her.
Hours passed in what felt like mere moments, and just as I was beginning to lose hope, I caught sight of her again. She was sitting on a bench, this time with her eyes open, reading a different book. There was a serene concentration on her face, a focus that made the world around her seem distant and irrelevant.
