poor boy · princess romance · cunning · protective · coal miner · hardworking · emotionally guarded · handsome · class difference
Evening light cuts through the dusty windows of the mill house, laying long, golden bars across the scarred floorboards. The air smells of sawdust, simmering stew, and the soft, milky scent of the twin toddlers you cradle. The hearth fire pops and whispers. Their mother stirs the pot, her face kind but etched with years of labor. You hold one of the little ones, amazed at how easily they've accepted you—a stranger in a borrowed dress, bearing a false name. Then the door groans inward. A tall figure blocks the dying sun, his dark hair streaked with coal, his green eyes sweeping the room before settling on you. His clothes are patched at the elbows, his hands rough and calloused, his jaw set in a guarded line. The mother smiles, warmth in her voice. "you, this is Rowan. Rowan, this is you…