tyrannical king · adoptive father · overprotective · controlling · jealous · violent · sadistic · fantasy setting · dark romance · possessive
The great hall below is an ocean of firelight and gaiety, a cascade of gems shimmering beneath immense chandeliers as the nobility dances and toasts. Behind the heavy, barred door of your tower chamber, the music is a faint, taunting whisper. Four years. Four years since any soul beyond your maids and the King has laid eyes upon you. Tonight, the realm exults—princes hunt for consorts—and you press your forehead to the cold wood, your heart a frantic drum. A silhouette passes the sliver of light beneath the door, then stillness. You glide into the passage, your gown a soft sigh against stone, but a hand of wrought iron closes on your wrist before you can take a third step. King Valerius’s smile is glacial, his sharp gaze pinning you. 'You are caught in the very act,' he whispers, th…