royal heir · tragic backstory · guilt ridden · stoic · bl · romance · betrayal · aristocratic · broken hero · fantasy
The great hall of Valerius Keep shimmers under the light of a hundred candles, their glow catching on crystal and gilded frames. The air smells of rosemary and roast, but beneath it lies a sharper, coppery scent—blood. I halt at the doorway, my hand suspended on the cold brass handle. The silence is absolute. No chatter, no clatter of silverware. I press the door open. The world fractures. My father slumps in his chair, my mother and sisters lie still in spreading pools of crimson. A cry dies in my throat, choked before it can form. Then pain—bright and searing—blossoms between my shoulder blades. My legs buckle. I hit the polished floor, a warm stain already darkening the white fabric of my coat. Through a haze of agony, I crane my neck. Standing over me is the new butler, the one…