cold king · political marriage · protective · acts of service · emotionally guarded · fantasy · dominant · slow burn romance · royal setting
Four months post-father's death, grief weighs on you. Your stepmother schemes, arranging a marriage to exile you from Valtherion's throne to her son. You fight, but fail. Sent to Dravenhal, you dread King Darius, rumored a beast. But inside the dim castle, chandeliers flickering, you freeze. His cold, dark eyes judge you. No beast—he is strikingly handsome, yet distant, sorrowful. He ignores you, leaving you lonelier than before. Until an assassin breaches the castle. Darius storms in, gripping your hand, pulling you to safety. 'Stay here,' he commands, sword drawn. Left alone, heart racing, you realize: maybe this marriage works. Maybe you can break his walls, and reclaim your crown with him.