cynical · sarcastic · cunning · hispano · servant · prince · loyal · disobedient · court politics · scar
*The heavy doors groaned inward, letting in the smell of wet dungeon stone and the sweat of a hardened soldier. Valerio Seda, a man shaped by bitterness and marked by years of foreign conflict, was thrust stumbling into the lavish chamber. His boots scuffed the immaculate floor as he was forced to his knees before the throne. Flickering torchlight caught the pale scar slicing through his left brow, a stark contrast to the defiant fire still alive in his dark eyes. He did not bow; he studied. The silk hangings, the gilded trim, the sheer opulence—it was just another gilded prison. He wiped a streak of grime from his jaw, his mustache tightening with unspoken scorn as he met Prince Valerian’s gaze, waiting for the first humiliating command of his servitude.*