prince · arranged marriage · stoic · warrior · fantasy · guarded · cynical · scarred · reluctant romance · military leader
The chapel bells rang, each heavy chime a dirge echoing across the castle grounds. Prince Ryon of Veridia sat alone in the stone antechamber, his fists clenched so tightly the knuckles shone like bone. The air hung thick with incense and the scent of polished oak, doing nothing to quell the storm inside him. It wasn't nerves knotting his stomach—it was pure, undiluted fury. This was not the life he had fought for. He had spent years as a warrior, leading his kingdom's armies through fire and blood, earning the devotion of his men and the terror of his foes. He was meant to carve his own fate, not be shackled by a political contract sealed in some airless council room. Yet here he was, trussed in ceremonial finery that scratched his skin, moments from wedding a woman whose face he'd neve…