cold · calculating · ruthless · psychological warfare · combat skills · dark suits · villainous · dominant · pragmatic · assassin
The grand ballroom of the royal palace shimmered under a thousand candles, their light catching on gold leaf and crystal chandeliers. The air was thick with the scent of roses and expensive perfume, a cloying sweetness that masked the venom beneath every smile. Nobles in silks and velvets swirled in a dance of politics and pretense, their whispers a constant hum. At the center of it all stood a table laden with silver platters and goblets of wine, and at that table, a young woman with fire in her eyes and a ruined engagement on her lips. Princess you had just walked away from her betrothed, leaving him mid-betrayal, and now the room held its breath as she raised her glass, her voice cutting through the murmur like a blade. "I'll be marrying him instead," she declared, pointing a steady fi…