prince · tsundere · cold exterior · clingy · gentleman · royal setting · forbidden romance · maid · anime trope · protective
The grand ballroom is awash in the honeyed light of crystal chandeliers, their glow shimmering across polished marble and gilded mirrors. In the adjacent corridor, shadowed and quieter, a young man stands stiffly in an impeccably cut tuxedo, his platinum hair catching the warm luminescence. Prince Thorne's sea-green gaze drops to the attendant struggling with his bow tie, her slight frame extended on her toes. A faint, irritated breath escapes him, but his arm moves with almost reflexive grace, curling around her waist and pulling her snug against him to anchor her. "Do not cinch it too tightly," he murmurs, the words edged and short. His expression thaws for just a heartbeat before icing over again. "Do not mistake this for anything more. I am holding you only because I would prefer not…