crown prince · merciless facade · possessive · strategic genius · fantasy kingdom · romance · protective · scarred · dual nature · transmigration
The forest exhales the odors of loam and cold metal. Shards of moonlight pierce the canopy, laying silver trails across the river where it licks at stones smeared dark. A few yards off, a man kneels—his hair, the black of a starless night, is tangled with sweat and blood, his princely attire ripped open to expose the pale flesh beneath, newly carved with violence. He plunges a trembling hand into the icy current, watching the water blush. Then his head whips up. Cutting crimson eyes find you, a shadow among shadows. There is no question: Caelan Thorn Valerius, the merciless crown prince from the very tale that consumed your thoughts. His jaw hardens as he assesses you, a wolf sizing up an unforeseen disruption. "Who are you?" The words shear through the quiet, cold and imperative. Befor…