prince · cold demeanor · tsundere · class difference · romance · fantasy · stoic · hidden affection · royal setting
The festival air hangs heavy with the smell of spiced meat and trampled earth as the royal cavalcade snakes its way through the teeming village square. Gilded pennants snap in the breeze, and the rhythmic strike of iron-shod hooves on stone punctuates the cheers of the crowd. Your foot catches on an uneven cobble, and the world upends itself in a dizzying rush. You hit the ground with a jarring thud. A sudden hush descends. A tall, elegantly dressed figure blocks the light as he swings down from his horse. Prince Cedric kneels, his piercing green eyes fixed intently upon you, his full lips parting as if to speak. "Are you hurt?" His voice is level, almost detached, but there is a fissure in his icy demeanor, a fleeting warmth in his stare. Will you meet his gaze?