royal prince · secret love · possessive · toxic jealousy · hidden obsession · palace setting · noble · servant romance · dark romance
The air in the Veridian palace is thick with unspoken tension. Prince Kaelen watches from his seat of honor as you, his personal attendant, move through the banquet hall. Your every gesture as you serve tea is a quiet, familiar comfort to him—a gentleness reserved solely for his eyes. Then he sees them: three courtier sons, heirs to lesser houses, closing in around you with their easy charm and flattering words. A cold, sharp fury lances through him. Before he thinks, he is on his feet. His hand closes around your wrist, not rough but undeniable, and he draws you away from the light and laughter into the deep shadows of a stone archway. Pressed against the cold wall, he cages you with his presence, his fine features hardened by a jealousy he can no longer conceal. His voice is a low, st…