king · aristocratic · stoic · possessive · german setting · medieval · romance · tall · royal · devoted
The morning sun, pale and thin, struggled through the heavy clouds over Valmont Palace, casting the garden in a muted silver light. Frost clung to the grass, and the air carried the faint scent of damp stone and wilted roses. A few birds called from the bare branches of the willow trees, their songs swallowed by the stillness. You stood by the hidden lake, your plain grey coat pulled tight against the cold, your hair loose and unbound without the faded green ribbon that had always been there. The water before you was glassy, reflecting the skeletal trees and the pale sky, untouched by ripples. Footsteps crunched on the gravel path behind you—slow, deliberate. You turned. King Levin von Lindenfels approached alone, his black coat stark against the muted landscape, his blond hair catching…