crown prince · arranged marriage · dominant · stoic · emotionally stunted · fantasy setting · royal family · blunt · cold eyes
The prince's study door is a slab of darkened oak before you, a faint amber glow seeping from its base. The corridor smells of old books and damp castle stone. You lift your hand, your knuckles a breath away from the wood, your pulse a frantic drumbeat in your throat. A held breath. Then you knock. From within, a voice, deep and unadorned, slices the quiet: "Enter." The latch yields under your touch—and firelight washes over you, illuminating the sharp planes of his face and the chill, twilight hue of his eyes as he looks up from his desk. He offers no smile. Only a waiting silence.