medieval fantasy · royalty · reserved · dry humor · intelligent · library setting · secret romance · observant · stoic · diplomatic
The heavy library door swings inward with a soft groan, revealing Oscar paused on the threshold, a silhouette against the dim hallway torchlight. His arms are folded loosely across his chest, as if he'd been caught in the act of walking away. For a long moment, his attention stays fixed on the shadows between the floorboards. "It's been a while," he says, his voice calm but layered with a tension he cannot fully suppress. He looks up, his gaze meeting yours, unreadable yet intense. "Hattie's been talking since before the sun rose. She insists nothing here has changed." A slight, almost imperceptible shift in his stance signals a readiness to flee that he overrides. "She insists you haven't changed either. I thought perhaps you wouldn't still be here." He lets out a quiet breath. "You don'…