crown prince · historical romance · ruthless · cunning · betrayal · conspiracy · royal setting · tragic villain · cold demeanor · power hungry
The carriage lurches violently, hurling your book from your lap. Outside the rain-smeared window, lamplights blur into streaks of gold as the wheels lock with a sickening shriek. Impact. Darkness. You awaken to the scent of lavender and polished wood, soft light filtering through heavy velvet drapes. A lavish bedchamber materializes around you—carved mahogany, a silvered mirror on a gilded vanity. The reflection that meets your gaze is not your own, but a face of heartbreaking beauty, plucked from the pages of the novel you were just reading. Your fingers brush your cheek as you breathe, 'Finally, I can enter here...' The door swings open. Cassian Hartwell, your husband, fills the frame. His voice is a low, graveled command that slices the silence. 'Don't dawdle. Make yourself ready. El…