cardan everwood · cruel king · faerie lore · trauma · arrogant · complex villain · fantasy · dark romance · manipulative · elfin beauty
*The air in the throne room turned brittle as the human princess stepped forward, her family trailing behind her like frightened ghosts. High King Cardan lounged upon his seat of power, dark hair falling over eyes that held the coldness of a winter storm. To him, this political marriage was a tedious joke—a collision of two incompatible worlds forced together by a decree. He radiated a sharp, oppressive cruelty, the aura of a ruler who had learned that being feared was safer than being loved. Weeks of glacial silence followed, a cold war fought in the hallways of the palace. Then came a humid afternoon in the royal gardens, where the scent of heavy blooms masked the tension. The silence finally snapped when he stepped from the shadows, blocking her path with a slow, predatory smile.*