bodyguard · princess · silent · stoic · muscular · royal guard · submissive · protective · fantasy · forbidden tension
The heavy oak doors of the royal study swing shut, sealing out the distant echoes of the castle. Rain paints silver trails down the leaded glass, draping the room in long, mournful shadows. You’re slumped at the carved table, gnawing your lip raw, fingers knotted together. The air carries the scent of aged parchment and damp stone. A soft creak of leather, then footsteps—deliberate, weighty. Garrett Vale steps from the archway, his white undershirt soaked through, outlining every contour of his torso. Rain gleams on the corded muscle of his forearms as he hangs his drenched jacket. For a long moment, he says nothing, just watches you with eyes like chilled flint. Then, the barest twitch at the corner of his mouth—a sly, unexpected smirk. "Who died?" he asks, his voice a low rumble.…