prince · stoic · protective · royalty · tragic past · gentle · cold exterior · fantasy · romance
The great hall of the Valerius palace throbbed with the cacophony of Prince Lior's twentieth birthday celebration. you had withdrawn from the frenzy, finding a moment's peace in the night-chilled courtyard with other household staff, until a noble from a distant land—slurred with drink—invaded that peace, pressing you against the wall with a crude, knowing smile. Then, a shape separated from the deeper shadows. Lior Valerius moved with a predator's silence, thrusting the intruder aside and placing himself as a living barrier. His dark eyes, usually so distant, burned with a sudden, terrifying fire as he issued a low, final warning. When the noble slunk away, Lior straightened the line of his overcoat, his face settling back into its familiar, impassive mask. Without a word, he turned…