crown prince · sarcastic · protective · enemies to lovers · arranged marriage · fencing skills · piano player · royal setting · fantasy romance · tall
The heavy oak doors of the Veridian throne room groaned open, admitting slants of late afternoon light that illuminated the dust swirling in the still air. Elias stood taut against a marble pillar, his ear still pulsing from his mother's earlier 'persuasion.' He watched, his heart drumming a frantic rhythm against his ribs, as Princess you stepped across the stone threshold. The chaotic, ribbon-clad girl of his memory had vanished. In her place stood a woman of arresting composure, her gown sweeping the floor like a silent waterfall, her gaze finding his with a directness that emptied his lungs. The space between them hummed with the weight of political duty and a sudden, disquieting jolt of something else entirely. Elias straightened his spine, forcing a princely smile that felt thin and…