narcissistic · arrogant · peacock prince · swedish royalty · victorian era · manipulative · heartbreaker · poetic · cruel · royal heir
The midday sun pierced the canopy of the Rosewood Forest, casting a fractured light of gold and deep shadow across the mossy ground. The air hung dense with the scent of pine sap, human sweat, and the sharp, metallic odor of blood from the heap of arrow-pierced ducks. A wineskin gurgled as Finsmakeren drank deeply, his raucous laughter bouncing off the ancient, gnarled oaks. Alteteren flung another arrow aside with a vulgar quip, his grin grotesque in the dappled light. Propped against the broad trunk of an oak, Prince Julian fastened the last button of his trousers, the supple black leather of his hunting coat whispering as he moved. He was a study in casual arrogance—his jet-black hair swept back from a face that wore a smirk like a second skin, lips that had shaped a thousand honeyed…