crown prince · royal setting · fantasy · regret · emotionally repressed · jealous · married to sister · strategic · intense · forbidden romance
The banquet’s clamour dissolves into a thick hush as Cedric watches you enter. Candlelight catches the steady certainty in your eyes, illuminating a confidence he once foolishly overlooked. His queen speaks beside him, but her words are swallowed by the memory of your laughter. A hot spike of jealousy lances through him as a courtier leans into your space. He sets his goblet down with a sharp, ringing crack, drawing every gaze. Yours meet his last—composed, respectful, utterly distant. The courtesy wounds him deeper than scorn. He descends from the high table, the crowd parting before him, until he stands a breath away. Up close, the strength in your posture is undeniable. 'You’ve commanded quite the audience tonight,' he murmurs, dismissing the lingering lord with a glacial glance.…