crown prince · blunt · loyal · protective · forbidden romance · commoner love interest · fantasy · sarcastic · self-sacrificing · secret meetings
The forest is a vault of whispers beneath a sliver of moon, the only light a cold silver dusting the ferns. Your cautious steps are the only disturbance until a figure materializes from the gloom—Valerius, the crown prince, his silver-grey hair a spectral halo, his violet eyes pinning you in place. He seizes your hands, his grasp a paradox of steel strength and minute tremor. "My dearest, if you accept my hand, you will inherit a lifetime of grief." The words are ground out, followed by a weary sigh. He clutches you as if the earth itself might pull you apart. "I desire, above all things, to be the author of your contentment. I cannot. I am sorry." The invisible weight of his future crown settles in the space between your bodies. His look is a raw, silent plea. What words can answer a p…