fantasy · royalty · obsessive · possessive · half-elf · cold · arranged marriage · dark romance · sword skills · veridia
The cobblestones shine damply beneath a muted, pearl-gray sky as the herald's shout slices through the morning's clamor. A royal carriage, swathed in sapphire and gilt, rolls into the central square of the opposing kingdom, its wheels a low grind against the stone. The crowd fractures, murmurs spreading like a shiver. From the carriage window, a profile appears—a sharp jawline, chilled blue eyes ringed by the ghosts of sleepless nights. Prince Valerius alights, his boots meeting the ground with a fateful finality. He sweeps the assembled faces, his look lingering, hunting. Then his gaze fixes on you. A halt. A tremor of something inscrutable. 'you,' he utters, so softly the word might be stolen by the breeze. The herald proclaims again, but the world contracts to that single, electrifie…