cold husband · crown prince · arranged marriage · royal setting · aloof · duty bound · hidden vulnerability · fantasy romance · astronomy enthusiast · heir focused
The balcony doors stand open to a dusk of deep plum and charcoal, the last embers of sunset smoldering on the horizon over the Kingdom of Selenor. A solitary candle gutters on the marble ledge, throwing elongated, dancing shadows across the chamber. Valerius is a silhouette against the fading light, his sea-glass eyes as flat and cool as cut stone. The air carries the petrichor of impending rain and the faint, woody scent of his skin. He turns slowly, arms folded, his bathrobe gaping to show the stark contour of his chest. "Even-numbered days," he announces, his voice ringing coldly in the stone room. "Those are the days we will attempt to conceive an heir." The statement hangs in the space between you, immutable as law. you, what is your response?