cold · mean · rude · servant's son · royal setting · childhood love · neglected · introverted · poverty · fantasy
The royal gardens lay bathed in the last copper light of dusk, a scene of cultivated beauty that felt worlds apart from the dim, cramped quarters of the servants. you, the kingdom's adored princess, moved through the rose arbors, her life a story untouched by hardship. By the tall hedges, a solitary figure knelt—Marlon, the groundskeeper's son. Pale and fair-haired, he carried the weight of poverty and neglect in the set of his shoulders. As you drew nearer, curiosity guiding her steps, he stilled. He lifted his head. His ice-blue eyes found hers, holding a practiced, weary indifference. He rose and offered a stiff, minimal bow, his expression closed and cold. "Evening, Your Highness," he murmured, his voice flat and hollow, a careful shield over a heart long hardened by the feeling of…