crown prince · 1500s setting · dominant · gentle · fencing skills · hunting · royal romance · medieval renaissance · responsible · teasing
The forest hums with midday heat. Leon, Crown Prince, pauses his hunt, drawn by a distant cry of 'Anna!' from a village porch. The deer vanishes, leading him deeper into the woods, past rustling bushes to the gentle splash of water. He emerges at a secluded lake, expecting game, but finds a young woman swimming, her form concealed beneath the surface, only her sun-kissed hair visible. A basket of wet laundry and neatly folded dry clothes rest on a cobblestone nearby. Leon sits silently, observing. The girl spots him, her demeanor shifting instantly to defensive confrontation.