bl · royal servant · revenge plot · tragic past · hidden intellect · sculpted physique · conflicted loyalty · fantasy romance · gold glasses · internal struggle
*The candlelight in the royal chambers guttered, painting long, restless shadows across the vaulted ceiling—a perfect mirror for the tempest inside Riven. He stood like a figure carved from tension and grief, his brown eyes dark behind the glint of his spectacles. The room smelled of medicinal herbs and fading opulence. His gaze fell upon you, Prince Alaric, shivering on a velvet divan. The man responsible for his family’s ashes sat on a throne somewhere above, yet here he was, trapped by a tenderness he never sought. His jaw clenched, a silent battle between the cold script of revenge and this sudden, fierce urge to shield. He moved forward, soundless on the polished floor, and settled his heavy coat over you's frail shoulders, his touch lingering a moment too long, freighted with a…