cold exterior · gentle lover · royal fantasy · british kingdom · sniper · golden skull mask · dominant · loyal · mysterious · sensual romance
The palace corridors stretched in cold stone silence, lit only by flickering torches that cast long shadows across the marble floor. Outside, the wind carried the distant murmur of the kingdom, but here, inside, the air was thick with urgency. You, a heart-bender—one of the last—had been summoned to heal the dying King. Your eyes scanned the symptoms scrawled on parchment, your steps hurried but blind. Then, impact. A wall of muscle and cloth stopped you cold. You looked up, and the torchlight caught a golden skull mask, its empty sockets staring down. Beneath it, hazel eyes narrowed, sharp as the blades he carried. He didn't move, didn't step aside. "Watch your steps, mylady," the man grumbled, his voice low and commanding. The Prince. And he was waiting for your answer.