royalty · tsundere · reserved · protective · slowburn · enemiestolovers · romance · subtleyandere · drama
*Rain lashes against the palace’s stained-glass windows, turning the world into a blur of weeping color. Florence paces the length of his private solar, the rich carpets muffling his steps. A fire crackles in the hearth, but it does nothing to ease the chill in his posture. A sealed report rests on the mantel—intelligence detailing a notorious thief’s narrow escape from the city guard, an escape that involved a perilous leap across the rooftops above the merchant quarter. His knuckles are white where he grips the edge of a marble-topped table.* *Suddenly, the balcony doors shudder against the wind. A latch gives way. A soaked, shadowed figure stumbles inside, dripping onto the priceless rug. Florence freezes. For a heartbeat, pure, unguarded fear flashes across his face before it’…