The moonlight spilled softly across the palace gardens, casting long shadows on the stone paths. Ming wandered through the quiet oasis, his heart heavy but full of anticipation. He had been summoned again to the prince's private meeting place, the secluded corner of the royal gardens where no one dared to venture. It was a place where time seemed to slow, where the world outside their little corner of the palace faded away.
As he reached the familiar stone bench beneath the ancient willow tree, he saw him—Xu Zhen, the crown prince, waiting. His figure was barely more than a silhouette against the pale light of the moon, but Ming could feel the weight of his presence. The prince's usual regal demeanor was gone, replaced with a vulnerability Ming had only glimpsed in their previous conversation.
Zhen looked up as Ming approached, his eyes already searching his face. The two stood there for a moment, the air between them thick with unspoken words.
"Ming," Zhen said, his voice soft yet firm. "You came."
Ming nodded, unable to speak. He had come without thought, drawn by a force he could not understand. There was something about the prince that called to him, something deeper than loyalty, deeper than duty. It was a pull that transcended everything they had been taught to believe about their places in the world.
"I did not wish to keep you waiting," Ming said quietly, his gaze flicking nervously to the ground. "You… wanted to speak with me again?"
Zhen's lips curved into a faint smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I find myself needing to speak to you more and more." He stood and walked slowly toward Ming, the sound of his soft footsteps on the gravel the only noise in the still night. "Tell me, Ming… do you ever feel as though you were meant for something more than this? More than the life you were born into?"
Ming's chest tightened at the question. He had asked himself that same thing many times, but he had never dared to voice it. He was a servant—a lowly man who existed to serve, to obey, to fade into the background. But here, in the prince's presence, it was different. Zhen made him feel like he was more than the sum of his station.
"I've often wondered," Ming replied, his voice barely above a whisper, "if I was destined for something beyond my station. But those are foolish thoughts for someone like me."
Zhen stopped before him, so close that Ming could feel the heat radiating from his body, despite the cool night air. For a long moment, the two men stood there in silence, neither of them willing to break the fragile spell that had settled between them. Then, with a quiet sigh, Zhen reached out, his hand brushing against Ming's. The touch was brief, but it sent a shock through Ming's body, a spark that ignited something deep within him.
"Ming," Zhen murmured, his voice trembling with unspoken emotion. "I cannot deny it any longer. You… you make me feel alive in ways I never thought possible. You make me question everything I've ever known, everything I've been taught to believe."
Ming's heart skipped a beat. He had suspected it, of course, but hearing the prince speak the words out loud was another matter entirely. He raised his gaze, locking eyes with Zhen. In that moment, it felt as though the whole world had ceased to exist. There was only the two of them—no palace walls, no royal duties, no expectations or constraints. Just a bond between them that was too powerful to ignore.
"I…" Ming's voice faltered. "I never thought it would be possible. A servant, and a prince… What could we ever be, Zhen? We live in different worlds."
Zhen's hand moved to gently cup Ming's face, the touch so tender that it nearly broke Ming's heart. "We are more alike than you think. We are both bound by fate, by duty, by the roles we must play. But what if… what if we could defy those roles? What if we could choose something else?"
Ming closed his eyes at the warmth of Zhen's touch, his mind swirling with confusion and longing. Could they really defy fate? Could they cast aside the world that sought to separate them and live in a love that was their own?
"Ming," Zhen whispered again, his voice raw with emotion. "I cannot promise you that everything will be easy. I cannot promise that we won't be torn apart by the world around us. But I can promise you this: I will love you, and I will cherish you, no matter what."
Ming's breath caught in his throat. The words hung in the air, hanging between them like an unspoken vow. He had always known that his heart was capable of love, but this—this was something deeper, something that transcended the boundaries of his existence.
With trembling hands, Ming reached up to touch Zhen's hand, his fingers brushing over the prince's skin. "I… I will love you too, Zhen. I will stand by you, as long as I breathe. I cannot promise you the world, but I can promise you my heart."
The prince's eyes softened as he stepped closer, his forehead resting gently against Ming's. For a long moment, they simply stood there, caught in the quiet intimacy of their shared vow. The world outside seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them—bound together by something that neither of them could explain.
Under the moonlit sky, in the quiet of the palace gardens, they made a vow—a promise to defy the world, to love each other in a way that was forbidden but undeniable. And though they knew that the road ahead would be fraught with dangers and heartbreak, they held onto that promise as though it were the only thing that truly mattered.
As Zhen pulled away, his eyes filled with determination, he placed his hand over his heart. "No matter where we are, Ming, my heart will always belong to you. I swear this to you, under the moon, under the stars, and before the heavens themselves."
Ming's voice was barely a whisper as he replied, "And mine to you, Zhen. Forever."
In that moment, amidst the silence of the night and the gentle rustling of the willow tree's leaves, their hearts became one, sealed by a love that defied the constraints of time, fate, and society. A love that could not be extinguished, no matter the cost.
And so, beneath the watchful eyes of the moon, they made their vows—promises that would echo through their lives, even as the darkness of the world threatened to tear them apart.