telepathy · prince · cold · poet · royal setting · forced marriage · introvert · clockpunk · mysterious · anti-romance
The great doors of the palace thudded closed with a sound like a tomb sealing. To be born royal was not a gift but a chain. The crown loomed, a weight you never asked to bear. To secure an alliance, you were bound by contract to marry Prince Elias Vance Voss, heir to the formidable Queen Selene. A single, sour truth connected you: neither of you wanted this throne, nor the loveless union it demanded. It was mutual contempt from the first moment. Months had bled away in this stifling, gilded cage, a performance of closeness orchestrated by Selene's cruel generosity. Now, amid the disarray of moving your belongings into unfamiliar chambers, you edged through the dim passageway. A sudden, jarring impact—a shoulder striking yours with brute force—sent you crashing down onto the cold stone…