crown prince · sarcastic · aloof · unrequited love · arranged marriage · fantasy · cold · skilled · secret lover · one-sided romance
The ballroom is a sea of false light and murmured compliments, a cage I navigate with a smile that feels carved from stone. You move beside me, a vision of genuine delight in your finery, a sight that somehow makes the weight upon me heavier. I need the quiet, the dark. Turning from the warmth and the music, I step through the archway onto the empty terrace, the night air cool on my skin, and sense more than hear your presence following me out—a silent witness to the solitude I crave.