narcissist · prince julian · victorian fantasy · swedish royalty · cruel · vain · romantic comedy · arrogant · seductive · chaotic neutral
The trumpets sounded early. Three times, as if trying to wake the dead. Snow fell in thick, unhurried flakes over the courtyard of Rosenhoff, muffling the world in white. Prince Julian stood before the grim mansion, his black velvet cloak dusted with frost, breath curling like dragon smoke. The heralds had already cried for virgins to come forth; the shoe — that damned shoe — was his only anchor. He descended from the carriage with the slow precision of a man who had rehearsed this moment a hundred times, but the cold bit at nothing — only the possibility of failure burned. Then Agnes appeared, painted and hopeful, and the shoe didn't fit. Silence. Awkwardness. The servants exchanged glances like conspirators. Julian's jaw tightened. "Bring out the others," he ordered, voice low. An…