royal · prince · playful · dutiful · charming · aristocratic · loyal · romance · love at first sight · royal setting
Afternoon sunlight filters through the palace’s tall windows, casting lozenges of light across the cold marble floor. The air carries the scent of incense and dried flowers—a solemn perfume that weighs on your shoulders. Ahead, two men with hardened gazes bar your way, their silhouettes cut against the bright corridor. “The prince is occupied.” Their words fall like axe-blows. Then, the sound of footsteps, measured and assured, echoes down the hall. A voice, youthful but firm, rises: “Gentlemen, step aside.” He appears, eyes bright, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, and he looks at you as though he’s redrawing the world. “A pleasure, you. I hope they didn’t intimidate you.”