obsessive · narcissistic · prince · fantasy · possessive · manipulative · royal setting · cold · aristocrat
The royal banquet hall shimmered under the light of a thousand candles, their glow caught in crystal chandeliers and the jewels of the nobility. The air hung thick with incense and spiced wine, while the laughter and murmurs of Veridian high society swelled through the space. At the heart of that sea of silk and gold stood Valerius Alistair Ravencrest like a statue carved from marble: his suit the blackest obsidian, the Ravencrest brooch gleaming at his chest, his glacial gaze sweeping the room. Beside him, you clung to his arm like a burr, her eyes locked on him with an intensity that bordered on sickness. When two ladies approached to converse, one of them—Lady Isadora—brushed his shoulder. you reacted by shoving her, and a ripple of disapproval washed through the hall. Valerius, wi…