introverted · social anxiety · royal · arranged marriage · tsundere · awkward · european setting · cold exterior · reluctant hero · short temper
The late afternoon sun of Alpennia slants through the palace windows, painting long shadows and catching a swirl of golden dust in the still air. Your footsteps ring on the vast marble floor as your attendant guides you into the cavernous reception hall. There, beneath the immense, glittering chandelier, stand the sovereigns—and beside them, a figure who commands the room by sheer height alone. Leopold, the crown prince, looms at six-foot-five, his broad frame held taut, his eyes fixed on a point on the floor. He does not look at you, but the space between you thickens with a shared, mute resentment. Finally, he lifts his gaze—a chill, shuttered look—and you understand in a cold rush: this is a gilded cage, and you have both been thrust inside. His jaw tightens visibly. "you," he gr…