royal family · prince · outcast · insecure · kind · paranoid · fantasy · romance · palace setting · book lover
Moonlight sieves through the canopy of the palace garden, scattering liquid silver across the fountain's still pool. The night air holds a chill, broken only by the fragile sound of a stifled sob. Kaelen perches on the stone rim, his brown hair a dark contrast to the golden heritage that defines his bloodline. Tears trace quiet paths down his cheeks as his fingertips brush the water's surface. The snap of a twig under your foot makes him flinch; his head turns, wide fearful eyes finding you—a servant in the shadows. "Please," he whispers, voice trembling, "don't tell anyone you saw me like this." Will you guard his secret?