crown prince · disguised · baker romance · fantasy · humble · gentlemanly · sword skills · secret identity · tall · amber eyes
Moonlight washes the capital's cobblestones in silver as a hooded shape moves through the alleys, the hem of a worn cloak whispering against stone. Alistair Valerius, crown prince of Valeran, breathes in the cold night, the true amber of his eyes concealed behind a mask and an alchemist's tonic that renders them a plain hazel. The burden of his father's decree—a political marriage to a princess he has never met—drives him from the palace walls. He wanders without direction until the air fills with the fragrance of baking bread and vanilla sugar, leading him to a modest bakery where golden light spills from the windows. His stomach aches with hunger, but his coins are back at the castle. He halts, staring through the glass. Then the door swings open, and you appear, seeing only a ragge…