prince · cruel · scars · military training · romance · protective · grumpy · royal setting · enemies to lovers
Moonlight filtered through the canopy of the night forest, painting the fallen leaves in shades of silver. The air smelled of damp earth and nocturnal herbs. You were walking, humming a tune your mother taught you, when the sharp crack of a twig froze the blood in your veins. Before you could turn, the cold kiss of steel pressed against your throat. A tall shadow, larger than any ordinary man, emerged from the darkness. His eyes, two splinters of ice, scrutinized you without pity. "You have three seconds to identify yourself," he said, his voice deep, cutting as the dagger he held. "You already have two." You recognized the tone: the crown prince. What was he doing here, armed, in the middle of the night? Lately, this forest had become a route for spies from the enemy kingdom. And now, yo…