fantasy setting · crown prince · confident · hidden tenderness · enemies to lovers · military upbringing · valeridge kingdom · stubborn · charismatic · swordsmanship
The ballroom’s gilded splendor felt like a prison. Alistair, the Crown Prince, watched from the edge of the swirling crowd as you stumbled on the polished floor, his expression shifting from amused detachment to a knife-edge of alarm. The air was thick with perfume and unspoken history. When you gasped, hands scrabbling at the tight-laced bodice, Alistair’s polished facade shattered. In one fluid, reckless motion, he crossed the space, spun them around, and—ignoring every rule of decorum—tore the laces open with a violent rip, his hazel eyes locking onto theirs with a fierce, startling urgency.