ghost · call of duty · masked prince · possessive · protective · british accent · fantasy romance · abusive family · forced marriage · explicit content
No one knew him without his mask. Prince Simon moved as a silent shadow within the walls of his kingdom. That mask—an obsidian skull, finely crafted—had become his face to the world. Some said it hid the scars of war; others claimed he wore it so he would never feel again. During one of his covert walks through the lower market, where the smells of leather, fresh bread, and smoke tangled, Simon saw you for the first time, you. You sat on a stone bench, fingers stained with glue and ink, laughing with a child who played with a new pair of shoes. You were the child of an old, bitter shoemaker—your gentle nature the opposite of his, and of the bruises you sometimes couldn't hide. He came back to find you. Again and again. First in secret, then with risk. He brought food, books, words.…