Guarded By Desire: The Princess's Secret Love

Kaelith Solarys.

I ran hard that morning, my feet pounding the private road that curved through the estate. My breath came sharp and steady, the thin sleek fabric of my cropped racer top and leggings clinging to my sweat-slick skin. I pushed until my lungs burned, then slowed to a walk just before the front doors.

Rylin waited in the foyer, her posture perfect, her hands clasped. "Good morning, Your High—"

I pulled the earbuds from my ears and dropped them into her palm without breaking my stride. She knew the gesture.

"Rylin," I said as I started up the stairs. "Have everything ready for the party tonight. Secure the VVIP room for me and Dax." His name slipped out softer than I intended, and I felt a flush of warmth rise to my cheeks despite the cool air.

Dax Helion.

My childhood crush. The one man I could never truly have. He was engaged to Sira, my best friend and a princess of House Veridia. Their betrothal was pure politics. Dax was illegitimate, born on the wrong side of a Kaelix prince's indiscretion, but his blood still held power. That engagement should have killed whatever feelings I had left.

It had not.

"Yes, Princess." Rylin bowed slightly and vanished down the corridor before I reached the top of the stairs.

I went straight to the bathroom and stripped off my damp clothes. The shower came on hot and strong. I stood under the spray and let the water drum against my shoulders as the memories crowded in.

I had been Princess Kaelith Solarys once. The only daughter of the Emperor of Aurelian. The most valuable piece on his board and the one forbidden from ever claiming the crown myself.

My mother had been human. She died when I was nine. I still blamed my father for it. The official story spoke of illness but I knew the truth.

That was the night I decided I would never bend to his rules or the kingdom's laws again. I walked out at nineteen with nothing but the fortune tied to my name and an anger that still simmered under my skin.

He sent guards to drag me back. Three times. Each group returned emptier than the last. After the third, he stopped trying.

Now I lived among humans. I owned homes they could never trace to a crown. I ran at dawn without escorts. I partied until sunrise. I kept everyone at a distance. Everyone except Dax, who lingered in my thoughts no matter how many years or miles I put between us.

I turned my face into the water and let it wash away the sweat and the memories. When I stepped out, I wrapped myself in a thick towel and padded to the bedroom. I opened my laptop to scan emails, but a knock came almost immediately.

Rylin entered without waiting for permission. Her face held its usual expression of sour judgment.

"What is it, Rylin?"

She folded her arms. "The man you brought home last night is still asleep in the guest room."

I had almost forgotten about him. Some club owner's son, eager and flattering, the kind of distraction I picked up when I needed a companion.

"Wake him," I said without looking up from the laptop. "Have him freshen up and send him down to the kitchen for breakfast. I will join him there shortly."

Rylin nodded stiffly and left, pulling the door closed behind her.

I turned back to the screen. Emails from the company flooded my inbox. K. Solarys Ventures, my quiet empire in the human world, handled investments in clean energy, private space launch contracts, and a string of luxury nightlife properties across three continents. All of it was legal on paper and profitable beyond reason.

I skimmed reports, approved transfers, and signed off on a new acquisition in Singapore.

A few minutes later, I rose from the bed and dressed in a simple silk robe. I padded downstairs to the kitchen.

The man sat at the island, a plate of fruit and pastries in front of him. He looked up when I entered, uncertain but hopeful. "Good morning."

"Good morning." I poured myself coffee and leaned against the counter. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded. "Your home is beautiful."

I was about to respond when my phone buzzed on the counter. I glanced at the screen.

Aunt Myraen.

I picked up.

"Kaelith Solarys." My aunt's voice was clipped, impatient. "Your father demands your immediate presence at court. Must you always defy him like a spoiled child?"

I stirred cream into my coffee, watching the white swirl dissolve into black. "I am not defying anyone, Aunt. I am simply not available."

"You are always not available. The court has been waiting for your return for four years. The barons are restless. Your father—"

"My father," I cut in, keeping my voice calm, "can handle his own barons. He has been doing it long enough."

The man at the island shifted in his seat, clearly unsure if he should be hearing this conversation. I ignored him.

"Kaelith, this is not a request. The succession—"

"I am not part of the succession." I set my coffee down. "I made that clear when I left."

"You made a scene when you left. There is a difference." Myraen's voice softened, just slightly. "Your father is not well, Kaelith. He would not admit it, but he is not well. You should come home. If not for him, then for yourself."

I stared out the window at the gardens, the hedges trimmed into perfect geometric shapes, the fountains throwing silver arcs of water into the morning light. This was my home now. This quiet estate, these clean lines, this life I had built away from the politics and the endless weight of being Solarys.

"I will think about it," I said.

Myraen was quiet for a moment. "That is more than you have given me in months. I will take it."

She ended the call.

I set the phone down and turned to find the man watching me, his breakfast forgotten.

"I have a long day," I said. "Finish your meal. Rylin will see you out when you are done."

He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then closed it and nodded.

I left him there and walked back upstairs, my coffee forgotten on the counter, my thoughts already somewhere else entirely.

Home. I was not sure I knew what that word meant anymore.

Arin Easton

I slammed my f*ck*ng feet against the treadmill belt, cranking the speed past thirty kilometers an hour while the incline tore into my calves like a goddamn beast. Sweat p*ss*d down my face and neck. My lungs were on fire. Every muscle screamed like it wanted to quit, but I pushed harder anyway. Pain was the whole f*ck*ng point. Pain drowned out the b*llsh*t in my head.

Except today it wasn’t working.

The music in my earbuds blasted heavy and loud, but two soft syllables kept cutting through the noise like knives.

“Arin…”

“Arin…”

F*ck this.

I stabbed the stop button. The belt jerked to a halt. I stood there bent over, hands on my knees, sucking air like I’d just sprinted from a Draken swarm.

Toven popped up in front of me, snapping his fingers right in my face like a prick.

“What the f*ck do you want?” I growled.

“Xal wants you in his office.”