Leafy knelt in the soft soil of the royal gardens, brushing earth from her fingertips.

Morning light warmed the leaves she had tended since dawn. A rustle came from the far hedge.

A boy in a velvet jacket stepped out, his shoes too bright for the muddy path. “You must be the gardener everyone talks about,” he said, voice careful but curious.

Leafy tilted her head. “And you must be the prince who never visits his own flowers.”

He laughed, surprised. “I suppose I am.” He crouched beside her, ignoring the damp grass. “These roses smell sweeter than the ones in the hall. How do you make them do that?”

“I listen,” Leafy said. “Plants tell you when they’re thirsty, when the sun is too sharp, when they’re lonely.”

The prince touched a petal as if it might whisper back. “I didn’t know they could be lonely.”

“They can,” she replied. “So can people.”

His smile faltered. “Sometimes I feel that way, even in a crowded room.”

Leafy handed him a small watering can. “Then help me. Maybe the roses will keep you company.”

They moved along the beds together. The prince tried to copy her gentle motions but splashed water on his jacket. He giggled, and Leafy joined in, the sound carrying through the garden like wind chimes.

A sudden shout broke their laughter. Two servants hurried over, alarm in their eyes. “Your Highness, you shouldn’t—”

The prince straightened. “I’m helping,” he said firmly. “Leafy is teaching me.”

The servants hesitated, unused to defiance. “Very well,” one murmured, stepping back.

The prince turned to Leafy, cheeks flushed. “They think I’m fragile. But I want to learn things that matter.”

“Kindness matters,” Leafy said. “It grows like these roses if you care for it.”

He nodded, serious now. “Will you keep teaching me?”

“If you promise to listen,” she answered.

“I promise.”

They worked until the sun tilted west. When the final rose drank its share, the prince bowed with an exaggerated sweep. “Thank you, Gardener Leafy. Today you were the true royal.”

Leafy brushed dirt from her knees. “Today you were the kind one.”

The garden seemed to glow as the evening breeze stirred—two friends leaving behind more than watered roses.