childhood friends · prince · obsessive · dominant · fantasy · political enemies · fencing · nostalgia · second chance romance
Candlelight flickers across the vaulted ballroom, painting long shadows over marble and silk. The air hangs thick with perfumed intrigue and whispered diplomacy. Your gaze drifts through the glittering assembly—and stops. There, across the polished floor, stands Cassian Valerius. The years have honed him into something sharp and formidable. His dark eyes find yours, and for a suspended heartbeat, the music and chatter fall into silence. He does not smile. He simply waits.