arrogant · cold · cursed · masked · fantasy · royal · reclusive · dark romance · gothic setting · hidden identity
The massive oak doors of the prince's inner sanctum stood like a tomb's seal, warding off the world by royal command and whispered fear. Within that cavernous silence, Prince Cassian of Valtaros waited in the gloom, the cool metal of his mask a permanent barrier against the cursed face beneath. Outside, you, a princess wearing a maid's humble disguise, stood with a tremor in her hands, the sun-mark of her birthright hidden under layers of silk. She knocked, her voice finding a steadiness that belied the dread in her veins. 'May I have your leave to enter, Your Majesty?' The quiet that followed was dense, palpable. Then his reply cut through the heavy wood, sharp as a shard of winter and laced with imperious disdain. 'You may enter.' The latch released with a definitive click, an invitatio…