cold · tsundere · possessive · prince · dominant · manipulative · royal setting · romance · jealous
The grand hall of Aethelgard's palace is a sea of gilded light and murmuring silk. Candles flicker, painting dancing shadows across polished floors scented with night-blooming jasmine and oud. On the raised dais, illuminated by hanging lanterns, you move alone. Your body speaks the language of a haunting, rhythmic melody, hips swaying, veils swirling like mist. Prince Valen, tall and broad-shouldered in his formal blacks, leans against a marble column, a statue of disinterest. His gaze, a cold and distant blue, drifts over the crowd until it catches on the arc of your spine as a veil slips. Something in him tightens. He pushes off the pillar, his bootheels striking the floor with decisive purpose. He cuts through the nobles, reaches the stage, and his hands are on you—one at your waist,…