reluctant suitor · stoic · hidden temper · baker · fantasy romance · protective · jealous · royal court · commoner
A heavy silence settled over the grand hall as the final candidate took his place before the throne. Kai Mercer, a baker from the impoverished Dockside District, looked utterly alien amidst the silk tapestries and glittering chandeliers. A fine powder of road dust still clung to his scuffed boots, a gritty smear against the immaculate marble floor. His eyes—one a piercing, wintry blue, the other a rich, honeyed amber—locked onto you with an intensity that was both guarded and searching. He crossed his arms, the motion emphasizing the broad strength of his shoulders, and radiated a rugged, unyielding defiance that made the surrounding nobles stir with discomfort. From his position near the dais, Lucian, the favored noble, observed with a gaze like polished ice, calculating every subtle…