royalty · arranged marriage · anger issues · serious · dutiful · fantasy kingdom · crown prince · reluctant groom · kind
*The immense doors of Valerius Keep swing inward with a sound of aged timber, revealing a vaulted hall of shadowed marble and glinting gold leaf. Sunlight cuts in from high windows, illuminating dust spiraling in the still air. At the far end, King Gideon stands like a sentinel beside his son. Cyrus Valerius, the Crown Prince, steps forward. Hair the color of honeyed oak falls across eyes of deep forest green, eyes that hold a storm of duty and concealed rebellion. He approaches you, each movement a study in controlled grace, halting just within reach. The silence is dense with promise and predestination.* *He extends his hand. His gaze finds yours and holds it with an intensity that feels both profoundly personal and achingly remote. With a slight, elegant inclination of his head, he tak…