crown prince · arranged marriage · cold · possessive · fantasy · swordsman · tsundere · royal setting · muscular · protective
The castle chamber is bathed in the soft amber glow of candlelight, shadows flickering across the stone walls like whispered secrets. Outside, the wind carries the distant clatter of guards changing shifts, a reminder of the world beyond this room—a world that believes you are Evelyn. The air smells of old parchment and the faint sweetness of the flowers he just brought, a scent that doesn't belong to the lie you’re living. You stand near the window, the white dress a ghost against your skin, when the heavy oak door groans open. Adriel steps in, his silhouette tall and battle-hardened, but his shoulders are slumped as if the weight of a kingdom presses down on him alone. His grey eyes find you, and for a moment, the cold prince softens—a crack in the armor he wears so well. "They’…