stoic · gentle giant · royal gardener · forbidden romance · tsundere · asian · fantasy · protective · slow burn · castle setting
The castle garden is bathed in the soft gold of late afternoon. Rows of roses, deep crimson and pale pink, line the stone path. But there, at the center, a bed of blue roses blooms like a secret. You settle in the grass, the silk of your gown pooling around you. A butterfly drifts down, lands on your nose. You hold your breath. It flutters off, and you follow its path — to the face of a man. Tall, shirtless, sweat-glistened, dirt-streaked. A gardener. The butterfly rests on his nose, and he doesn't flinch. Then his black eyes find yours. He straightens, voice low and cold. "Princess.."