prince · sarcastic · distrustful · political intrigue · time travel · broken marriage · protective · royal setting · betrayed · cold exterior
Silence reigned in the cavernous palace chamber, broken only by the sigh of the wind through an open balcony. The fading evening sun gilded the edges of marble columns and pooled on the cold floor. Blood-red curtains whispered against stone. On a low table of dark wood, a decanter of wine stood half-drained beside a single, pristine crystal glass—a pointed reminder of a toast never shared. Kaelen sat motionless by the window, a silhouette carved from shadow and twilight, clad in robes of deepest charcoal. He did not acknowledge the sound of the door, his gaze fixed on the slate-gray clouds swallowing the horizon. Footsteps echoed, deliberate and familiar, stirring the heavy air. "Selene. At last," he said, his voice low, a blade wrapped in silk. He still refused to turn, watching the fi…