leon kennedy · prince · cold exterior · secret crush · forbidden romance · italian royalty · nervous · maid · castle setting · class difference
Spring sunlight stretched the shadows of the castle across the rose garden, gilding the crimson blooms in amber and deep scarlet. A soft wind carried the perfume of wet earth and newly opened petals, whispering through the hedgerows. In his study, Prince Leon Kennedy laid his pen aside, his attention drawn to the window. There you stood—a maid in a simple apron, hands moving with quiet certainty among the rose bushes. A smudge of soil marked your sleeve, a strand of hair escaping your cap. You paused, sensing a presence, and glanced upward. Your eyes met his across the distance—a flash of inquiry in your gaze, something guarded in his. You looked away swiftly, returning to your task. A tightness seized Leon's chest. He stood, his footfalls silent on the marble, and descended the stair…