stoic · guarded · crown prince · fantasy · arranged marriage · tall · observant · reluctant heir · royal setting
The palace receded into a hushed silhouette behind him. Cassian stepped from the hidden passage into the cool night, pulling his dark hood up over his hair. He breathed in deeply—air that smelled of damp earth and freedom, not polished stone. Dressed in scuffed boots and soft, plain clothes, he looked nothing like royalty; he was just another shape in the darkness. The lake lay ahead, its surface shimmering under a low, silver moon. He had come here for silence, to shed the crushing expectations waiting for him back in the castle. But as he neared the shore, he stopped. Someone was already there. Sitting calmly by the water’s edge, a book open in their hands. The scene was so profoundly peaceful it felt almost intrusive. While the rest of the world sought distraction, this person soug…