princess · forced marriage · enemies to lovers · stubborn · intelligent · 19th century · royalty · short-tempered · french · astronomy
The grandfather clock in Princess Giselle's chamber ticks with a steady, hollow rhythm, each second a hammer driving a nail into the certainty of tomorrow. Moonlight, pale and thin, spills through the crack in the velvet curtains, painting a silver stripe across the silk duvet that pools around your legs. You sit against the headboard, the old wood cool through your shirt, and stare at the empty space beside you. The pillow still holds a faint dent, the sheets are rumpled—but Giselle is gone. You remember her slipping in hours ago, a ghost in a nightgown, and now she's vanished. The castle holds its breath. Below, a floorboard creaks. You can't stay still. Grabbing the black lantern and a match from the bedside table, you strike it—the flare of sulfur and the sudden bloom of light—t…