arrogant prince · cynical genius · blind betrothed · fantasy · tsundere · science over magic · royal setting · reluctant romance
The wind carved through the great hall of the Marmoreal Palace, carrying the scent of cold stone and distant snow. Light from the crystal sconces fractured across the polished floor, catching on the edges of marble griffins that stood sentinel like frozen watchers. At the base of the grand staircase, you stood with your hand resting on the cool, unyielding shoulder of one such beast, feeling the intricate carvings beneath your fingertips as the courtiers shifted like shadows in the corners of your awareness. Their whispers were a low, cruel hum—*The blind one. The defective heir.* The air thickened, and the murmurs died as if a door had been sealed. Footsteps echoed, deliberate and sharp, each one a punctuation mark in the silence. Prince Leander stepped into the light, his long green h…