After we made love, we shared a quiet dinner wrapped in a simple, gentle warmth. Later, we moved to the sofa to watch TV. I curled up against his chest, clinging to Johann’s embrace, resting my head right over his heart. I losing myself in the steady, soothing rhythm of his heartbeat. I was on the verge of drifting off right there on top of him until I remembered I had to leave.

​"Johann, what time is it?"

"It’s nine. Why?"

"I have to get home. I’m sorry."

​I scrambled up, gave him a hurried goodbye, and closed the apartment door behind me, stepping out into the chilly night.

​By 9:36 PM, I was back at the palace. I slipped through the grand entrance silently, feeling like a thief terrified of getting caught. With absolute caution, I managed to sneak into my bedroom unnoticed. I collapsed onto my bed, letting out a long, relieved breath.

​"Perfect. I have roughly one day left to get Johann a gift... But I still don't know what to buy him."

​I lay there staring at the ceiling for several minutes until exhaustion took over and I drifted to sleep.

​The piercing blare of my alarm jolted me awake the next morning.

"Oh, God... ugh, I have to go to university!"

​I slapped the alarm off, yawned, and trudged into the bathroom to wash my face. That’s when I noticed it in the mirror. Johann had left fresh love marks on my neck—a reddish bite mark. A foolish smile crept onto my face, but it vanished the moment I realized what my father would do to me if he saw it. I quickly pulled on a high-necked sweater; luckily, it was winter.

​Once I was ready, I headed down for breakfast, only to run straight into my stepmother, Hanna. I don't know what came over me, but I suddenly saw an opportunity and decided to seize it.

​I sat down at the breakfast table, where the servants had already placed my absolute favorite—waffles. As I began cutting them into neat pieces, I looked up at Hanna. "Valentine's Day is tomorrow, right?"

​She replied with her usual, suffocating arrogance. "Yes. And what of it? Are you still seeing that filthy boyfriend of yours?"

​A sudden urge to strike her with the knife in my hand flared inside me, but I forced myself to maintain my composure. Keeping my voice steady, I said, "I know you and Father will probably go out or spend the day together at the palace, so..."

​"So what?"

​"Could you please ask Father to let me spend tomorrow with my mother?"

​"And why don't you ask him directly?"

​"I’m afraid he’ll get angry or just say no. He loves you, Hanna. He won't refuse anything you ask."

​She took a slow sip of her coffee, set the cup back down on the table, and said without even looking at me, "Fine. I’ll speak with him. You’re doing me a massive favor by staying out of my sight, Max."

​A rush of intense relief washed over me. Despite the cruelty of her words, she had given me exactly what I wanted. I finished my food in a hurry, grabbed my bag, and headed out to where the chauffeur was waiting to drive me to the university.

​During the ride, a wave of pure excitement settled in my chest. Finally, I was going to spend an entire, uninterrupted day with Johann without a single worry!

​Then, the dilemma of his gift popped back into my head. I still had no clue what to get him. Suddenly, the car stopped at a red light. I glanced out the window, and my eyes locked onto a motorcycle dealership.

​That's it. It hit me instantly. That was the perfect gift for Johann.

​I pulled my bank card out of my pocket, a wide smirk spreading across my face. I could already picture Johann’s reaction. He would be absolutely ecstatic.

​The light turned green, and the chauffeur continued driving toward the campus. Because of the glaring, cursed class divide, Johann couldn't study at a university like mine. But at least for now, I was far away from that suffocating house, far away from my father, and far away from his wretched wife.

​To be continued...