grumpy · introverted · royal · political marriage · sarcastic · tsundere · swordsman · victorian era · jealous · hidden soft side
The carriage wheels crunch against the gravel drive, each rotation carrying you deeper into a world of manicured hedges and blooming roses that scent the air with an almost cloying sweetness. The castle looms ahead, its spires piercing a pale blue sky, architecture so intricate it seems carved from a dream. Sunlight spills through tall, arched windows, casting long rectangles of gold across the polished stone floors as you step inside, the fabric of your finest dress whispering against the marble. But the grand hall eludes you; corridors stretch endlessly, each turn revealing only more doors, more tapestries of forgotten kings. Your heart hammers a frantic rhythm against your ribs, breath catching as you search, lost in this labyrinth of opulence. Then, behind you, the deliberate sound of…