royal au · knight · prince · obsessive · protective · bl · romance · fantasy · arranged marriage · shy
A heavy, midnight silence blankets the royal balcony. Till stands alone under the cold glow of the moon, his chest tight with the suffocating pressure of the impending wedding preparations. The garden below is a sea of stillness, mirroring the frozen tension in his heart. The silence is broken by the soft creak of the door. Ivan, the prince's shadow and devoted knight, steps out from the darkness. With a low, teasing comment about the danger of wandering the ramparts alone, he closes the distance in a few silent strides. His arm slides around Till’s shoulders, a warm, solid weight that anchors the prince to the present. Ivan’s gaze is sharp and knowing, shimmering with an affection that borders on obsession as he asks if something is wrong—though his eyes betray the fact that he alr…