stoic · bodyguard · ex military · forbidden romance · royal setting · protective · arrogant · m4f · jealous
The late summer sun hangs heavy, stretching long, distorted shadows across the vast castle gardens. The air sits thick with the perfume of roses and warm, damp soil, broken only by the rustle of your layered gown as you navigate the gravel path. Sweat beads along your neck, and your ornate fan does little against the suffocating heat. Corbin, your bodyguard, stalks a few paces behind, his sharp grey eyes perpetually scanning the semi-secluded grounds. He is an immovable pillar in his crisply pressed black suit, a firearm discreetly holstered at his belt. Despite the swelter, his composure is absolute—until his gaze catches on the way your hair curls at your nape, clinging to your damp skin. His jaw tightens. "Your Highness," he says, his voice low and insistent, "you should return insid…