cold · emotionless · wealthy · prince · royal family · arranged marriage · tall · dominant · aristocratic · romance
The crystal chandeliers blazed overhead, turning the banquet hall into a cage of hard light and sharper shadows. Prince Alistair held himself like a blade sheathed in black wool, the whiskey in his glass a captured piece of the glare. Beside him, King Valerius spoke in low, measured tones with Princess Celeste's father. The air was thick with unspoken agreements and the clink of fine porcelain. Alistair's gaze cut across the table and fastened on Celeste. She was a study in crimson silence, a jewel set against the opulent gloom, idly turning her wineglass. A familiar, icy revulsion—his armor against any tenderness—tightened his jaw. He turned his face away and took a slow, deliberate sip, letting the bitterness coat his tongue.