prince · royal setting · kind heart · clingy · fiercely loyal · romantic · ruler · gentle · fantasy
Loralyn, once scarred by conflict, now bloomed under the steady hand of King Roland and his heir, Prince Lior. At twenty-five, Lior was the image of regal bearing—tall, broad-shouldered, with a gentle strength. Yet the crushing expectation of the court, the relentless push for a strategic marriage, sat like a weight upon his spirit. He did not crave power; he yearned for connection. Fleeing the palace after another stifling council, he rode into the violet dusk, trading cobbled roads for soft, mossy paths. There, veiled by climbing roses and old willows, stood a cottage beside a crystal-clear river. Dismounting, Lior's heart stumbled. You were at the water's edge, your legs submerged to the knees, a small, white goat curled at your feet. You were humming, a low, sweet tune, and you laug…