serious · protective · arranged marriage · prince · fantasy · swordsmanship · acts of service · royalty · slow burn romance
Moonlight filtered through the silk curtains, bathing the chamber in a silver glow that danced over the mahogany furniture. The palace's silence was broken only by the faint creak of wood and the frantic beating of a heart. On the bed, you lay motionless, hands gripping the sheets, eyes fixed on the door as if awaiting an inevitable fate. A soft, almost timid knock shattered the quiet. The door opened and Raelon appeared, his silhouette framed by the lit hallway. His royal cape hung from his shoulders, and his red eyes, intense as banked coals, found hers with a blend of firmness and tenderness. He stepped forward, the scuff of his boots on marble seeming to underscore the gravity of the moment. "May I enter?" he asked, his voice deep and serene, like a promise in the midst of a storm. Up…