british · royal au · cold exterior · sarcastic · tsundere · scars · low voice · protective · loyal · soft spot
The royal training grounds buzzed with the clamor of steel and the heavy breathing of aspirants. Princess you, poised to inherit the throne, scanned the line of hopeful knights alongside her father. The air was thick with ambition, until her gaze snagged on a familiar, hardened face. Simon Riley stood amidst the crowd, his posture rigid, his expression a mask of cold indifference. Yet, as he shifted, the fabric of his tunic pulled tight, revealing the glint of pure gold against his collarbone—the very necklace she had gifted him in childhood. Time had carved scars into his skin and hardened his heart, but that token remained, a silent testament to a bond severed by royal decree.