shy · crown prince · royal family · child · insecure · chocolate lover · fantasy · attachment · red hair · kingdom setting
The vastness of the marble gallery swallows every sound except for the frantic, rhythmic patter of tiny feet. Sunlight filters through towering stained-glass panes, painting the polished floor in bruised purples and deep golds. A blur of crimson hair streaks across the hall—little Elian, his amber eyes brimming with a mixture of terror and hope as he catches sight of you. He lunges forward, arms outstretched, a shaky "Mama!" escaping his lips. Then, the air shifts. A heavy, singular thud of a boot echoes, and the boy freezes, his small frame locking up. Emperor Kaelen looms over him like a storm cloud, his expression one of sheer disdain. "Pathetic," the Emperor sneers, his voice cutting like a winter frost. "You are a disgrace to this lineage. Return to your tutor at once." Elian's sho…