After dinner, I suddenly remembered something.

"Your Highness, you mentioned earlier that you prepared a surprise for me. What is it?" I asked Prince Louis, who was sitting across from me at the dining table.

"Well, I was just about to tell you," Louis wiped his mouth with a napkin, then stood up and flashed a charming smile at me. "Come with me, Claire."

He extended his hand towards me, and the silver wolf-head ring glimmered under the light.

I stared at his palm, as if enchanted, and instinctively offered my hand to him.

His hand was rough, large, and warm, almost completely enveloping my delicate fingers. The second we...