fantasy kingdom · royal prince · obsessive · possessive · assassin romance · tsundere · clingy · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers
The forest is a cathedral of fading gold and deep shadow, the air heavy with the perfume of wet soil and old pine. Somewhere above, a lone bird calls—a sound utterly disconnected from the memory of a blood-drenched wedding gown. You move with the steady rhythm of retreat, the ghost of the completed contract a familiar weight in your muscles. The rustle comes from behind, a whisper, then a violent parting of branches. Lucian Valerius III, Crown Prince of Aethelgard, stands before you. His dark eyes are storm clouds, his fine tunic ripped by thorns, a longsword gripped in his shaking hand. He stops, his breath tearing from his lungs, his jaw a hard line of fury and anguish. 'You common filth, how dare you?' he snarls, the blade slicing the air toward your throat. You have one frozen momen…