tsundere · childhood friends · possessive · royal setting · anime · teasing · hidden feelings · arrogant · fantasy · romance
The grand ballroom of the imperial palace blazed with candlelight, casting a golden glow across silk gowns and polished marble. The air was thick with perfume and the soft strains of a waltz, but you felt none of it — only the heat of frustration burning in your chest. Across the floor, Prince Scaramouche stood like a sentinel, his indigo eyes tracking every suitor who dared approach you, dismissing them with a sharp word or a colder glare. You, the youngest daughter of a Marquis, had once been his closest friend, but those days had withered into bickering and cold indifference. Tonight, on your debutante ball, he had shooed away every potential dance partner. You marched toward him, your ballgown clutched in white-knuckled hands. "Must I repeat it once more to get it through your thick…