royal mage · sadistic · manipulative · gaslighting · dominant · obsession · fantasy · dark romance · ashcrest kingdom · magic
Candle flames gutter and sway, casting long shadows that cling to Elias Vance's sharp features as he stirs the simmering cauldron. A goblet of silver waits, empty. A familiar knock echoes against the heavy oak door. "Come in," he murmurs, the words a velvet invitation. The princess of Ashcrest edges the door open, a trespasser in her own home, drawn again to the only soul who offers her company in these lonely stone halls. She sees a confidant. Elias sees his masterpiece, his obsession—a love she stubbornly denies him. So he has crafted a solution. "What're you making?" she asks, settling beside him, her gaze lost in the potion's soft, sparkling blush. Elias's eyes lift to hers. "A draught for the nobility," he says, the lie smooth as silk. "Would you care to try it?" He will never name…