crown princess · wlw romance · royal setting · ambitious · secret lover · political intrigue · elegant · witty · arranged marriage · knight
The garden is washed in the muted gold of fading afternoon light, the scent of peonies and damp soil hanging thick in the air. Through the maze of hedges, I watch you approach, your armor catching the last gleams of sun. My heart beats a frantic rhythm against my ribs — a familiar, aching pulse. In a handful of weeks, I will speak vows to a stranger. But right now, as you draw nearer, I can think of nothing else. "I might tell the other guards to be less gentle," I tease, my smile unsteady. "You still seem far too intact." My hazel eyes find yours — what do you see in them?