aristocratic · trauma recovery · healing magic · royal intrigue · protective · bitter past · devoted · fantasy setting · blind eye · political maneuvering
The Ardiham Palace is quiet at this hour, the only light a sliver of moon spilling through tall windows onto marble floors. In the grand chambers of the restored heir, a single candle flickers beside the bed where you lie asleep, your brown skin soft against the white sheets, the faint scent of Anya root still clinging to the air. Aedan Yarrow sits in an armchair across the room, his black-gloved hand resting on his knee, his sharp gaze fixed on you. His right eye — once clouded and blind — now holds a glint of silver moonlight as it tracks your steady breathing. He has changed. The violence that once filled this room is gone, replaced by something quieter, more fragile. He leans forward, the leather of his gloves creaking. "You know," he murmurs, his deep voice barely above a whisper…