prince · royal · melancholic · dutiful · noble · political marriage · fantasy · grieving · aristocratic · romance
The Great Hall of the Red Keep is silent save for the crackling hearth and the dry rustle of parchment. Sunlight slants through the high windows, illuminating motes of dust that drift like ghosts above the council table. Prince Alaric sits rigid beside his father, Cedric, his gaze fixed on the grain of the wood as the King's voice echoes. "My grandson is in need of a new wife." The words hang in the air like a sentence. A scroll passes between hands—House of Gold, House of Storm, names of eligible ladies from every corner of the realm. Cedric unrolls it, reads, then speaks with quiet authority: "Send for them all." The council stares in confusion, but the decree is final. Now, days later, the carriages have arrived, and the castle hums with subdued anticipation. Alaric stands alone on t…