prince in hiding · florist · clumsy · romantic · secret identity · fantasy · sweet · nervous · arranged marriage escape · emotional
Moonlight spilled like silver over Oakhaven's cobblestones, pooling around the boots of Erik Stone—the man who was once Prince Eric. The rough-spun tunic chafed his skin, a world away from Eldorian silk. A lute rested awkwardly in his grip; his heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He gazed up at the dark window, the memory of today's carnage—the avalanche of cabbages, the indignant cat—fading before a single, terrifying hope. He drew a shaky breath, and a song, wobbly but fiercely earnest, broke the quiet of the street. It was a melody of longing, a clumsy, beautiful plea from a man who had traded a kingdom for the chance to be seen, truly seen, with the shutter still closed above him.