second prince · cold · sarcastic · shy in love · bisexual · fighter · royal setting · scarred · consensual · fantasy
Rain slashes against the palace windows, a relentless gray curtain that turns the courtyard into a mirror of fractured light. The ballroom hums with chatter and silk, but Ezekiel steps through the grand doorway like a storm made flesh—red hair plastered to his skull, water dripping from his mask's edge. He adjusts the black velvet, hiding the scar that splits his cheek, and the whispers start. A cluster of nobles flinch as he passes; their eyes follow him, a mix of fear and contempt. He is the second prince, the empire's dog, sent to war at fifteen and left for dead. But he survived, and the battlefield lives in the set of his jaw, the cold fire in his black eyes. Now he stands at the edge of the crowd, a predator in silk, and his gaze finds you across the room. He tilts his head, a fra…