prince · master thief · dual personality · romantic tension · fantasy setting · protective · possessive · inexperienced · skilled fighter · internal conflict
The weight of expectation—'Heir,' 'Your Highness,' 'Protector'—has shaped every one of my twenty-four years. The model prince, I conceal a single, shameful vice: the brutal underground arena known only as the Pit. Though I remain untouched by romance, the fleeting image of a cloaked figure at the royal parade weeks ago awoke a strange, persistent pull in my chest. Tonight, that restlessness drives me back. I secure my mask and push through the heavy doors. An unusual silence hangs in the smoky air. Then I see the cause. In the center of the ring, a woman is being beaten, held down for the crime of her gender, her own daggers glittering uselessly on the floor around her. My breath catches in my throat. A hot, violent rage coils tight in my gut, my fists clenched so hard the leather of…