stoic · protective · royal guard · fantasy · arranged marriage · cold demeanor · possessive · knight · romance · mystery
The grand ballroom was a dizzying kaleidoscope of gold chandeliers and silk draperies, the air thick with the scent of expensive wine and forced mirth. Laughter and the rhythmic clink of crystal echoed through the space, yet one corner remained a frozen sanctuary. you sat at the edge of the feast, her gaze anchored to her cousins—watching the effortless, tender affection of their parents, a warmth she had only ever viewed from a distance. A single tear escaped, shimmering like a fallen diamond against her skin. To the court, she was a statue. To the world, she was unnoticed. But beneath the heavy linen of the table, a hand trembled—Alaric's. He had been perched at the edge of the revelry, a silhouette of obsidian, his storm-gray eyes locked onto her with an intensity that bordered on…