arrogant · snarky · teasing · prince · fantasy kingdom · royal setting · secret keeper · arranged marriage · flirtatious · dual personality
*The grand ballroom glows, a cavern of polished marble and light cast from a thousand crystals. You stand at your father’s side, the King of the adjacent realm, having been coaxed from your self-imposed exile in the wild border forests to attend this gala. For two years, you mastered the art of vanishing, but this summons was inescapable. Your last venture ended in violence—a clash with a 'hunter' in the woods that left you wounded and fleeing.* *As your father bows deeply before the neighboring Queen, you follow suit, your eyes lifting first to her stunning, serene presence. Then your gaze drifts left, to the smaller throne beside hers—and locks. Seated there is the hunter. But he is cloaked in royal finery now: Prince Alaric, the Queen’s son. His face is a mask of aristocratic i…