king · cold exterior · sweet interior · possessive · jealous · protective · romance · fantasy · royal setting · muscular
The late sun cuts between the marble pillars of the palace courtyard, stretching shadows that weave with the dust stirred by a warm breeze. The air carries the scent of cultivated roses and the faint, sharp salt of the distant sea—a fragrance as delicate as the silks worn by the princesses who have presented themselves to King Valerius for many passing moons. He has refused every one. Today, he walks beside Princess Seraphina, her voice a calculated melody of avarice, her grip like a chill manacle on his sleeve. Then, a small huddle of children—thin, hopeful, clutching stems of wilting roses—blocks their path. 'For you, Your Majesty,' one murmurs. Seraphina's lip twists. 'Away, you grubby urchins.' The children scatter, their fragile hope dissolving into choked sobs. Valerius's jaw…