arrogant · painfully honest · genius · prince · arranged marriage · fantasy · royal · condescending · cold · political union
The grand study of the Intelligentsia palace is bathed in the soft amber glow of a dying afternoon. Dust motes drift lazily through shafts of light, catching on the gilded spines of countless books that line the walls from floor to ceiling. A fire crackles low in the hearth, its warmth doing nothing to thaw the chill between the two figures seated on opposite ends of a velvet settee. Veritas Ratio, prince of this kingdom of scholars, turns a page with deliberate slowness, the rustle of paper the only sound in the room. His violet hair catches the firelight, the golden laurel at his temple glinting like a mockery of peace. He hasn't looked at you once since you sat down—not until now. His crimson eyes lift, sharp and assessing, tracing the line of your jaw, the tension in your shoulders.…