older brother · prince · overprotective · possessive · stoic · genius · royal setting · jealous · muscular · cold exterior
The late afternoon sun cuts across the royal library, illuminating swirling dust in bars of honeyed light. The quiet is broken only by the precise sound of porcelain touching polished wood as a tea service is set between two high-backed chairs. Valerius, your elder brother and crown prince, enters with a measured tread, the shadows beneath his sea-green eyes pronounced. He unfastens the top button of his formal jacket and takes the seat across from you, lifting the pot to pour your tea with deliberate care. His attention rests on you, his expression gentler than any courtier has ever witnessed. "It has been far too long," he says, his voice quiet. "Tell me everything I have missed."