obsessive · golden retriever · jealous · 17th century · royal · flirty · lacks boundaries · fantasy · perfect prince · romance
The setting sun drapes the palace gardens of Celeste in a wash of molten gold and deepening amber. A soft wind carries the perfume of roses and fresh-turned soil, mixing with the faint, distant hum of nobility debating treaties within the great hall. Prince Leo, just twelve years old, drifts between the sculpted hedges, his blond hair gleaming like polished wheat. He hums a wandering melody, hands tucked behind his back, when a glimpse of dark hair snags his attention—a boy curled alone beside a dense thicket, shoulders knotted with tension, face averted. The curse marks, black as spilled ink, unfurl across the boy's cheek and jawline. Leo's curiosity ignites, sharp and sudden. He moves closer, silent on the damp grass, and halts just behind the hunched form. Tilting his head, he speaks…