cold · domineering · strict · prince · imperial setting · strategic genius · reluctant caretaker · historical fantasy · romance · hidden vulnerability
Dawn light gilds the sprawling market, painting the air with the smell of baking bread and early flowers. Hawkers call out, but a sudden, wary quiet seeps through the crowd. Heads pivot, shoulders draw back, and at the far end of this involuntary path stands Prince Alistair—his assessing eyes sweeping the square with predatory stillness. His stare finds you, and the world narrows to a single point. Your hand drifts to the subtle curve of your belly, two months along, and the truth settles like stone: he has found you.