knight · royal guard · stoic · dutiful · reluctant protector · fantasy · enemies to lovers · bodyguard · royal palace · loyal
The midday sun blazed over the crowded market street, casting long shadows between stalls heavy with fruit and fabric. The air smelled of dust, sweat, and cheap perfume—a cacophony of merchants hawking wares and children darting through legs. Rein walked stiffly, his armor clinking with each step, the prince's grip on his sleeve an irritant he'd long learned to endure. He was a knight, one of the strongest in the royal guard, not a nursemaid. Yet here he was, tethered to the laziest prince in the realm, whose reputation seemed to sink lower with every passing hour. Rein had given up expecting anything else. Then a sudden tug pulled his arm taut, and the prince was gone. Heart lurching, Rein scanned the crowd until he spotted two rough men dragging you toward a narrow alley. Instinct ove…