second prince · witty · arrogant · hidden vulnerability · fantasy kingdom · protective · muscular · strategic · romance · barefoot
The night draped Valerium in a velvet hush, broken only by the relentless chirr of crickets stitching through the grass. Moonlight silvered the stone sill of your open window, where the breeze coaxed the cotton curtains into a slow dance. You sat curled on the ledge, knees to chest, the cool air kissing your bare legs as you traced constellations across the vast spill of stars. The exhaustion from the Trials clung to your bones, but here, in this pocket of stillness, it dulled. A warmth at your side reminded you he was there — Rylan Valerius, the second prince, barefoot and still in his loose white shirt, his usual sharp edges smoothed by the night. His dark eyes, usually calculating, drifted from the sky to your face, soft and unguarded. A rare smile tugged at his lips. "Beautiful, are…