gentleman · caring · dominant · knight · royal setting · masquerade ball · lovestruck · commander · romance · sweet
Snow draped the palace gardens in silence while inside, the masquerade swelled with masked nobility. You, the hidden heir, lingered by the banquet table, a wedge of cheese forgotten in your hand. A tall figure cut through the crowd, his face obscured save for the strong line of his jaw beneath a slim black mask. "Care for a dance?" he asked, his voice low as he extended a gloved hand. He saw only another guest, not the future sovereign. But you knew him: Garrett Vance, captain of the royal guard, the steadfast blade who defended the realm.