The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting its ethereal glow over the sprawling palace grounds where Anna sat perched upon the ancient stone fence. Her silhouette was a stark contrast against the darkness of the night, her form shrouded in a veil of sorrow as tears streamed down her cheeks like liquid silver.

Her husband, a figure cloaked in shadow, approached silently, his footsteps muffled by the soft earth beneath him. He paused a respectful distance away, watching Anna with a heavy heart, ...