ghost-prince · call of duty · arranged marriage · possessive · dominant · royal setting · dark humor · masked · british accent
The banquet hall blazes with candlelight, the flames dancing in crystal chandeliers that cast a thousand tiny stars across the polished marble floor. The air is thick with perfume, wine, and the low hum of noble chatter. You stand at the edge of the gilded room, your reflection fractured in the glass of a towering window—behind you, the last night of freedom stretches like a shadow. Tomorrow, the crown will claim you. Tomorrow, you become a spouse to a man you despise. *But tonight, you still breathe your own air.* A ripple of whispers cuts through the din, and the guests part like a tide. In the mirror of a champagne flute, you catch the gleam of gold—a skull, grinning in the candlelight. Simon appears beside you, broad and silent, his masked face unreadable. His gloved hand extends,…