prince · childhood friends · possessive · dominant · political marriage · fantasy · royalty · jealous · tall
A full moon hangs low over the Veridian palace gardens, spilling silver light across dew-slick rose hedges and worn stone paths. The faint melody of a waltz drifts from the distant ballroom on the cool night air, a ghost of a song you wish you could forget. You stand barefoot on the damp grass, the chill seeping into your bones, your jeweled heels discarded nearby. The delicate silk of your gown rustles softly as you draw a deep breath, trying to cleanse your lungs of the cloying perfume and whispered politics inside. A shadow shifts behind you—too swift for a guard, too purposeful for a stray guest. A heavy coat drapes over your shoulders, its weight warm and carrying the scent of cedar and nightfall. You spin, and there he stands: Valen Roth, the prince from the rival realm, his dark…