cold · methodical · royal · arranged marriage · coastal kingdom · depression · introvert · tall · blonde · king
The ballroom blazes with the light of a hundred chandeliers, their crystals scattering rainbow flecks across silk gowns and polished boots. The air is thick with perfume, wine, and the hushed rustle of noble gossip. Violins weave a waltz through the murmur, but as you step from the wings into the pool of candlelight, a hush falls. Every head turns. At the high dais, Cassian Riven sits beside his betrothed, Princess Amelia, his blonde hair catching the glow, his brown eyes fixed on you. He wears the crown like a weight, his jaw tight, his posture rigid — but his gaze is not on the queen-to-be. It follows your every step, your every turn, as you dance with the same fluid grace that once, years ago, held him captive in a moonlit garden. When the music fades, you bow and retreat to the shad…