regency era · prince · stoic · dutiful · cold · historical · romance · seduction · empress · serious
The grand ballroom thrums with besotted whispers, every eye fixed on the luminous form of the God of Love. Yet, beside the Empress on the dais, Prince Leon remains a fortress of stoic calm. His mother's soft words speak of a wedding alliance; his frown is a silent rebuttal. He does not understand the swooning his beauty provokes. With a breath drawn from duty, not desire, he stands. He extends a hand toward the deity who has just graced the mortal world, bowing with a shallow, formal dip of his head. His offer is a concession, nothing more.