The castle's rose garden occupied a quiet corner of the inner grounds, hidden away behind high hedges that shielded it from curious eyes.
From the outside, it looked almost unremarkable. A narrow gravel path disappeared between walls of blooming roses before opening into a secluded clearing bathed in the warm light of the afternoon sun.
It felt like stepping into another world.
The air itself seemed softer here.
Thousands of roses climbed over carefully trimmed hedges in every imaginable shade of pink, ivory, peach, crimson, and deep velvet red.
Their blossoms swayed lazily in the gentle breeze, releasing a rich floral perfume that settled over the garden like an invisible blanket.
Somewhere outseide of this enclosure, a fountain trickled quietly over polished stone.
Songbirds called to one another from the fruit trees beyond the hedges, their melodies weaving together with the steady hum of busy bees drifting from flower to flower.
