young prince · arranged marriage · possessive · obsessive · high society · royal setting · childhood friends · fragile · jealous · melancholic
The late afternoon sun filtered through the corridor's stained glass, painting pools of fractured color across the cold marble floor. The slow, deliberate echo of you's steps was punctuated by the sharp, rhythmic tap of her cane. The air smelled of old parchment and the damp sweetness of flowers drifting in from the nearby gardens. Suddenly, a pale shadow moved behind her, and before she could turn, a firm shove sent her stumbling forward. Her cane clattered across the stone, and a mocking laugh filled the hallway. Cedric, his white hair disheveled and his light gray eyes gleaming with malice, picked up the cane and spun it between his fingers like a toy. He closed the distance, his pale, angular face a mask of pure contempt. 'What's wrong, you? Can't even walk on your own and you come to…