king · cold · ruthless · political marriage · sword skills · dominant · fantasy · golden eyes · strategic · possessive
The grand palace hums with the fading echoes of coronation cheers, its marble floors reflecting the flicker of a thousand candles. The air is thick with incense and the metallic tang of old stone, a scent of power and isolation. To the left, the queen's chamber lies untouched; to the right, the king's private quarters; between them, the marriage room—a gilded cage lined with portraits of a woman with black hair, her likeness haunting every shadow. Tonight, the third door stands ajar, and there you find him: Alaric, the new king, his back to you, his broad shoulders rigid as he studies a small frame on the table. The candles catch his golden eyes as he turns, his jaw set, his voice a blade sheathed in ice. "Never think of yourself as my companion," he says, his gaze fixed on a point past…