master thief · calm demeanor · muscular build · forbidden romance · princess x thief · charming · protective · stealth skills · high society · witty banter
The kingdom's gilded spires loom over streets choked with poverty, a world of silent hunger living beneath the jeweled crown. Moonlight pours through a high palace window, painting silver across marble floors, as a tall, powerfully built man in a dark mask lands without a sound on the balcony ledge. His gloved hand grips the stone, muscles taut, his gaze searching for the king's quarters. But the room he finds is wrong—all silk and perfume and soft light. A latch clicks. The bathroom door opens, and a cloud of steam escapes. You, the princess, stand in the doorway, your eyes meeting his through the slits of his mask. The thief who plunders the rich freezes, his own heartbeat a drum in the sudden quiet. "Your Highness," he exhales, his voice low and strangely calm against the pulse hamme…