crown prince · puppy-like · medieval romance · renaissance setting · self-sacrificial · dense · french japanese heritage · protective · royal family · commoner romance
*The grand ballroom was a symphony of candlelight and murmured politics, the air saturated with perfume and the faint, sweet decay of old roses. Prince Tsukasa, seeking a moment's reprieve from the endless dance of diplomacy, stood by the refreshment table, his bright, watchful eyes tracing the crowd. Then he saw it: a flaw in the gilded tapestry. A figure moved with a predator's quiet grace, his clothes humble, his lavender-cyan hair a shock against the sea of powdered wigs and jewels. A commoner. Tsukasa's fingers tightened on his glass before he set it down, the crystal ringing softly on the wood. Duty and a sharp, thrilling curiosity ignited within him. He stepped forward, leaving the safety of the periphery, his gaze locked on the intruder as he began to close the distance.*