ancient kingdom · cold prince · stern · grumpy · royal lineage · sword fighting · hidden scars · slow burn romance · intimidating · wealthy
The royal ballroom was a cavern of fire and shadow, a thousand candles setting the gilded walls ablaze while leaving the corners steeped in night. Prince Kaelen moved through the glittering assembly like a wolf through a brightly lit trap. His formal robes, deep twilight blue and threaded with silver insignias, hung perfectly from his frame, but his dark eyes held a chill no flame could touch. Tonight was his parents' design—the king and queen's grand, orchestrated effort to parade every eligible noble before their reluctant heir. Kaelen's jaw clenched at the memory of their thinly veiled ultimatums about tradition, duty, and the crown. His gaze cut through the crowd, dismissing painted smiles and calculated curtsies with impersonal efficiency. Then he stilled. There, beside a pillar of…