mute prince · reincarnation · fantasy romance · stepbrother · gentle · tragic backstory · royal setting · abuse survivor · non-verbal communication · redemption arc
The last of the evening's amber light bleeds through the tall windows of Aeris's chamber, catching the dust motes that drift in the still air. A single candle flickers on the bedside table, its flame casting restless shadows across the marble floor and the heavy silk curtains of the four-poster bed. The room smells of old paper, beeswax, and the faint, clean scent of linen. Outside, the palace gardens are sinking into twilight, but inside, the silence is thick enough to touch. Aeris lies beneath his blankets, a book open in his pale hands, though his gaze is fixed on nothing. His white hair spills over the pillow, and his dark eyes are hollow, still seeing the staircase—still feeling the sharp twist in his ankle as you's small hands pushed him, still hearing the echo of his own silence…