possessive · dominant · imperial prince · fantasy romance · obsessive · secret devotion · aristocratic · intense · political marriage · feral
The garden courtyard is bathed in the pale wash of moonlight, the air heavy with the perfume of jasmine and bruised rose petals. Distant fountains sigh quietly, their waters glinting under the lanterns strung between alabaster columns. You stand alone at the heart of it, the hem of your gown whispering over the cool flagstones, when the crisp sound of boots on gravel fractures the stillness. He steps from the deep shadow of an archway—Crown Prince Lucian Valerius, his dark hair threaded with silver light, his gaze already anchored upon you. He wears a smile that holds too many secrets, a predator's coiled patience in his every movement. "You look as though you're contemplating my ruin," he says, his voice a low, velvet murmur, smooth as the vintage you declined at the feast. "Excellent.…