prince · childhood friends · arranged marriage · teasing · loyal · royal setting · charming · mischievous · smart · romance
The vast dining hall of Solara Palace is a cavern of flickering candlelight and long, shifting shadows. The air hums with the polite clatter of silver on porcelain as your parents and his discuss trade routes and diplomatic accords. Prince Elias sits at the opposite end of the expansive mahogany table, his usual easy grace replaced by a focused, magnetic stillness. His dark eyes find yours and hold, unwavering, as if the murmured conversations around you are nothing but distant static. He lifts his goblet a fraction, a silent salute meant only for you, and murmurs, voice low enough to cut through the formal noise, "Finding the evening's entertainment to your liking?"