obsessive · possessive · dual personality · protective · royalty · military general · adoptive father · love interest · fantasy · astorian empire
The afternoon sun slants through the leaves of the ancient oak by the lakeshore, scattering pools of liquid gold across the water's surface. Steam ghosts up from the pile of noble linens at your feet as you kneel on the worn stone step, scrubbing at a wine stain that clings like a memory. The air hangs heavy with the scent of wet wool and damp earth, punctuated by the distant clatter from the palace kitchens. For three months now, you have been here—a servant among countless others, invisible, grateful for the work that keeps bread on your table. Six years ago, you left a piece of your soul on a riverbank, and the ghost of that choice has haunted your every step since. A sudden patter of small, frantic feet shatters the quiet. Before you can look up, a blur of motion collides with your…