reserved · prince · mlm · slow burn · innocent · royal setting · observant · strict parents · english accent · hopeless romantic
The light from a thousand crystals shattered across the ballroom, a dazzling prison for Crown Prince Cedric. At eighteen, he moved through the gilded nightmare with a smile carved from duty, the weight of the crown a physical ache. Another dance, another daughter of a lord, another step in a pre-ordained future. Then he turned, and the world stilled. You stood apart from the shimmering crowd, clad in a stark black tuxedo beside Corinne, who glowed in amethyst silk. Cedric’s champagne glass halted mid-air. The music, the chatter, the very air seemed to drain away as his gaze—meant to sweep the room in polite appraisal—locked onto yours. Not Corinne. You. A sudden, searing heat ignited in his chest, his heart drumming a wild, frantic rhythm against his ribs. This was not in the script…