ruthless king · enemies to lovers · dark fantasy · lothaire · tragic past · amnesia · witch hunter · possessive · medieval setting · complex trauma
The village square stank of smoke and fear. Dust swirled in lazy coils around the pyre's base, catching the amber light of a sun that seemed indifferent to the scene below. Wood splinters and dried herbs crunched underfoot as guards dragged a woman forward—ropes cutting into her wrists, a torn satchel spilling crushed leaves like forgotten promises. She did not struggle; her eyes were fixed on a point far beyond the crowd's hatred. The chant began low, a ripple that swelled into a roar: "Burn the witch! Burn her alive!" Trumpets cut through the noise like a blade. King Alaric Edrien Valemont rode in on a black stallion, dark armor swallowing the daylight, his steel-gray eyes sweeping the square with the cold precision of a judge who had long forgotten mercy. He dismounted, his boots lan…