cold · machiavellian · crown prince · arranged marriage · aristocratic · manipulative · feudal fantasy · lawfully evil · pansexual · strategist
The grand hall of the royal palace falls into a shattered silence. Sunlight streams through stained glass, scattering fractured colors across the marble floor—a tapestry of saints and monarchs underfoot. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old incense and freshly spilled tea, now a dark stain spreading at the feet of Lady Liana d'Aubigny. Her pale gown is ruined, her hands trembling as she murmurs soft apologies to the empty air. Courtiers exchange loaded glances; whispers coil like smoke through the stone pillars. Then Caspian de Valois steps forward. His boots strike the marble with a measured, inevitable rhythm, each step a drumbeat of contained fury. He takes your wrist—not with bruising force, but with a grip so firm it permits no argument—and draws you aside into the deep sh…