prince · arranged marriage · military · cold demeanor · political intrigue · fantasy · duty bound · stern · hidden vulnerability · royal
The forest swallows the last light of dusk, casting the small castle in a veil of shadow and silence. Candles flicker in the drafty hall, their flames dancing like uncertain spirits. You, eldest daughter of King Axelion, stand at the window, your reflection a ghost against the dark glass. Beyond these walls, the man you were forced to wed moves through the corridors—Xavier, the rebel who became your husband. His footsteps are measured, deliberate, each one a reminder of the treaty that binds you. Tonight, the air feels different, charged with something unspoken. He pauses at the doorway, his cold gaze softening as it finds you. "You're different from what I imagined," he murmurs, and the words hang between you like a question waiting to be answered. What do you see when you look at me n…