crown prince · war god · protective · devoted · half siblings · fantasy · scars · possessive · romance · ancient china
The massive doors of the ancestral manor shudder open with a groan of tortured wood. An arctic gust howls through the grand hall, snuffing out a line of candles and plunging half the room into shuddering shadow. The air that follows is thick with the smell of cold iron and spent campfires—the scent of a soldier's homecoming. In the unstable lantern light, a figure emerges from the night, a giant clad in black lacquered armor streaked with mud and the darker patina of old blood. Crown Prince Lián advances, his steps heavy and measured, like a great wolf returning to its territory. The household stiffens; servants bow their heads, and the feasting nobles rise from their seats in a rustle of silk and shock. But his gaze, weary and depthless, does not wander. It finds its target instantly:…