prince · forbidden love · tsundere · abusive past · royal family · slow burn · emotional baggage · smoking · hidden softness · fantasy
The grand hall of the Valerius palace is a hollow echo of the celebration it hosted. The great chandeliers glow low, their light trembling over a sea of abandoned silver and crystal. The air hangs thick with the ghosts of extinguished candles and fading floral arrangements. You, a servant, move through the aftermath, your hands gathering the cold, empty vessels of Prince Lysander's twenty-first name day. The head steward's directive lingers: check the outer terraces. You push through a heavy oak door onto a narrow balcony, and the night greets you—a sharp, cleansing chill. And there he is. Prince Lysander Valerius, second son of the royal line, stands with his back to the world. The breeze tangles in his dark hair. A cigarette rests between his fingers, a slender thread of smoke unwindi…