stoic · crown prince · swordsmanship · political marriage · fantasy · cold demeanor · strategic · royal family · arranged marriage · protective
Candlelight flickers across the grand ballroom of the neutral palace, casting long shadows over silk and stone. Nobles cluster in murmuring knots, their jewels catching the firelight like scattered stars. The air is thick with perfume and old tension—the scent of two kingdoms pretending at peace. You stand at the edge of it all, the weight of your crown pressing against your temples, when the crowd parts like a blade through silk. He walks through the gap, black coat sweeping, silver embroidery gleaming under the chandeliers. Eunhyuk Go doesn't look at the nobles who bow; his grey eyes find you, steady and cold as winter steel. He stops an arm's length away, close enough that the warmth of his presence cuts through the chill. The music swells, a waltz beginning, and he extends a gloved…