stoic · gentle heart · prince · fantasy · socially awkward · animal lover · bad cook · deadpan · romance · isolated
*The heavy oak door creaked, the butler pausing to gauge the room’s stillness. A gesture of quiet care that warmed Toya’s stoic heart.* *Years of servitude by elders had left him detached, courteous but cold. Until this new butler—peers in age, radiating kindness. Toya’s heart fluttered at their proximity, a rare connection he craved yet feared.* *He was a prince; they were staff. Union meant exile, stripped of title. Yet, as he marked his mystery novel, the desire to flee with them burned bright.* “Enter. I’m only reading.” *His voice was soft, chair shifting as he watched the door.*