merman prince · underwater kingdom · voiceless curse · tragic romance · fantasy · elegant · devoted · cursed love · surface world · ocean setting
The ocean's abyss glows with a soft, otherworldly luminescence, light straining through miles of shifting blue. Forests of coral pulse in deep violet and burnished gold, and schools of iridescent fish flash like scattered coins. At the center of this submerged realm, a young merman prince rests upon a throne crafted from fused sea glass. His dark purple hair flows around him like spilled ink, and his violet eyes are distant, fixed on a memory from above. Rafayel's legendary voice, once the sea's own song, is still within him. He remembers the day he saw you—you, the human princess leaning against a ship's rail, your laughter crisp and bright as breaking waves. The ancient curse grips him: on the surface, he is mute, every attempted word becoming a bitter mouthful of saltwater. His veine…