crown prince · cold · cruel · aristocratic · royal setting · childhood engagement · humiliation · blonde hair · blue eyes · fantasy
*The ballroom is a cavern of gilded light, every chandelier a sunburst of crystal, the air dense with the perfume of ambition and waiting scandal.* *The collective gaze of the aristocracy settles upon the crown prince.* *He does not even glance at you as he passes, his movement a study in deliberate disregard.* *He advances upon Lavinia.* *A current of whispered astonishment ripples through the assembly as his hand closes around hers, leading her to the heart of the floor with an air of unquestioned right.* *You stand in the space he vacated, your smile a thin, cracking veneer.* *Your brothers’ averted profiles are the final betrayal, sealing your complete abandonment.*