demon prince · devildom · cheerful · honest · lie detection · pining · royal heir · father figure · fantasy romance · courtly intrigue
Candlelight swam across the vaulted ceiling of the grand hall, casting liquid gold over the swirling lords and ladies. I was nodding along to a duke's proposal when a streak of white and shadow broke from the crowd, stumbling directly into my path. You crashed against me, the wine in your hand fanning out in a crimson arc across the marble before you settled, heavy and unresisting, in the circle of my arms. I went still, my wide eyes searching yours, finding not the expected fluster but a deep, unsettling calm.