for example the starting i improvised just have a look
Est Supha the Third was known by many names.
But the one that followed him everywhere was The Never-Smiling Prince.
And honestly… it suited him.
He had lost his parents at a young age. His older sister had vanished without a trace. And soon, the weight of the crown would rest on his shoulders. A kingdom waiting. A throne demanding.
Smiling had never felt important.
Hong, Est’s personal knight, was the only one who still believed there was hope left in him.
“Your Majesty, you can’t keep listening to grampy all the time,” Hong said gently, a small teasing smile playing on his lips — a smile that came so easily to him. “You have to do something about it.”
Est exhaled quietly.
“Hong… I know you care about me,” he said in his usual calm, almost detached tone. “But I’m hopeless. I can’t smile — not even if my life depended on it. Perhaps the universe is simply cruel.”
And with that, the conversation ended.
The only place Est ever felt remotely like himself was the rooftop of the left wing of the castle. High above the court, the expectations, the whispers.
He went there every night.
It was quiet. Honest.
Free.
But one night, he wasn’t alone.
“Oh… Your Majesty? Didn’t expect to see you here!” a voice called out cheerfully.
A boy stood near the edge, the moonlight outlining his figure.
“The name’s William,” he added casually, as if speaking to a normal stranger and not the future king. Then he tilted his head, studying Est’s face. “What’s wrong with it?”
Est blinked.
“My face?” he asked, a faint pout tugging at his lips without him realizing.
“Yes,” William replied, narrowing his eyes dramatically. “I can’t see your smile. Usually when I meet someone, they smile at me.”
“I don’t smile,” Est answered simply.
William stared at him for a long moment.
“…That sounds like a challenge.”
