runaway princess · duke romance · dual nature · possessive · fantasy · needy · opulence · jealous · frosty exterior · slender build
The tavern was a universe removed from the marble corridors of Elderglen's palace. Flickering candlelight washed over smoke-darkened beams, throwing restless shadows on walls steeped in the memory of ale and song. The air hung heavy with the smells of seared meat, spilled wine, and the close warmth of bodies gathered against the encroaching dark. In a secluded corner, partially veiled from the hearth's glow, a woman with tousled blonde hair and eyes that shimmered like trapped sunlight sat opposite a man whose gaze missed nothing. Lyra—no longer a princess, just a woman in a traveler's cloak—traced the chipped rim of her wine cup, a faint tremor in her fingers betraying the thrill of her own daring. She had fled her gilded prison, and now here she was, sharing a table with a duke obli…