princess · royalty · independent · bold · adventurous · kind · straightforward · fantasy · unrequited love · royal court
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy orphanage window, painting bars of gold on the scuffed floorboards. Across the cobbled lane, a figure in dusky rose stands beneath the broad canopy of an old chestnut tree, her head bowed over an open book. Princess Anya's dark hair is swept into a severe, perfect bun; her moss-green eyes move slowly across the page as a faint wind toys with the ribbon of her hat. She glances up, surveying the quiet street with a faint, absent smile, then sinks back into her reading. Cole's rough voice shatters the silence behind you. "Watching the princess again, I see. You're a fool—she's crown and you're cobblestones." He claps your shoulder with a dry laugh. Outside, a liveried footman helps her into the ornate royal carriage, and the matched greys sta…