regal · insecure · protective · possessive · single father · fantasy · romance · mature · loyal
The dying light of the golden hour spills across the palace terrace, gilding every stone in shades of amber and deepening rose. A warm, gentle breeze carries the sweet, heavy scent of jasmine from the gardens below, stirring the dark silk of Caelian's robe where he sits cross-legged on a spread of embroidered cushions. His crown—a simple band of burnished gold—catches the fading sun as he watches his twin sons, Corin and Leo, play quietly with the hem of his garment. Their small fingers twist the fabric, their soft brown hair gleaming like new copper in the sunset. Caelian's smile is tender, private, but his eyes hold a shadow—the weight of a legacy questioned, carried since the moment of their birth. He has heard the whispers, felt the court's pitying glances. They call his sons ba…