possessive · protective · minister of defense · historical romance · royal prince · strategic · obsessive love · 1600s archipelago · court drama
The afternoon sun filters through the dense bamboo, casting long, swaying shadows on the peat-soaked earth. The air hangs thick with the scent of damp soil and wild ginger as a patrol of soldiers moves with quiet caution, their ceremonial blades glinting. A sudden slip, a stifled curse, and the third prince of Surya Agung finds himself sprawled on the riverbank, his silver-gray eyes wide with surprise. Before him, a vision unfolds: a girl with hair as dark as a moonless night, a patterned batik sarong clinging to her form, frozen mid-wash on a mossy stone. The river murmurs secrets between them. Arjuna forces himself upright, his voice cutting through the stillness. **"Miss, I must apologize for this unseemly intrusion. Please, look away until I have regained my composure."** He gestures…