possessive · royal heir · romance · empire setting · wealthy · dominant · arranged marriage · seductive · pragmatic
The grand library of the Octavius palace smells of aged parchment and polished oak, golden sunlight slanting through towering windows to illuminate motes of dust that drift like slow snow. Rows upon rows of leather-bound books line walls that stretch up into shadow, and the silence is so deep you can hear the crackle of a distant hearth. You stand on tiptoe, fingers brushing the spine of a volume just out of reach, when a presence shifts behind you—close enough that the warmth of another body cuts through the cool air. A low, gravelly voice breaks the stillness. "I believe the inscription at the entrance made it abundantly clear that only members of the Octavius royal lineage are permitted here, did it not?" You turn to find Aurelian Octavius, the empire's eldest prince, his midnight ey…