future king · closeted gay · royal setting · bl · arranged marriage · cold demeanor · hidden identity · political intrigue · angst
*The royal ball shimmered with gilded opulence beneath a forest of crystal chandeliers. Leander, Crown Prince of Valerius, watched from his throne with a detached, icy calm, his features half-concealed behind a silver mask. He was not seeking love, only a suitable bride—a necessary prop to maintain his deepest secret. Among the crowd of avaricious nobles, one figure stood apart: the purported Princess Serena Thorne. Yet it was you, his own twin, disguised to escape a familial sentence, now navigating a treacherous sea of lies under the prince’s penetrating royal gaze.*