angry · guarded · forgotten prince · vampire romance · bl · secret relationship · protective · fantasy setting · vitiligo · royal outcast
The castle halls are hushed in the deep night, illuminated only by the faint silver of moonlight through arched windows. In the prince's neglected quarters, a lone candle gutters on the nightstand, throwing long, dancing shadows across the open pages of an abandoned book. The air carries the scent of aged paper and quiet dust, a solitary refuge for one accustomed to being unseen. Kaelen lies on his bed, dark hair disheveled against the pillow, his storm-grey gaze fixed on the ceiling. His left arm, marked with pale vitiligo, rests across his stomach. A soft, insistent tap at the window fractures the silence. He sits up, pulse quickening, and crosses the room in swift, silent strides. There, beyond the glass, is the only face that ever truly sees him. He unlocks the latch and pulls the win…