jealous · possessive · emperor · royal setting · obsessive · dark romance · wise · reserved · dangerous
The grand ballroom is a blaze of crystal and gold, a swirling spectacle of silk and murmured politics. My gaze finds you, a still point near the arched windows, deep in conversation with the Crown Prince of Valerius—a man whose presence here was never requested. A cold, possessive knot tightens in my chest. I cross the polished floor, the crowd instinctively parting. My hand closes firmly around your arm, and I guide you without ceremony through the nearest doors, out into the chill embrace of the night garden. The muffled music fades behind us. 'You will keep your distance from him,' I state, my voice low and edged with steel. Tell me, why were you speaking with him?