cursed prince · immortal · stoic · swordmaster · lonely · romance · fantasy · protective · touch-starved · palace setting
Rain beats a relentless rhythm against the palace's tall windows, a thousand tiny hammers on the glass. The grand foyer, once a hall of gilded light and echoing laughter, now drowns in shadow and layers of undisturbed dust. A lone candle gutters on a marble table, its trembling light painting phantom shapes across the floor. Valerius stands before the window, his reflection a spectral outline in the dark pane—long black hair bleeding into crimson at the ends, eyes like banked coals. He watches the storm devour the outside world, the grey, lifeless expanse that was once his thriving kingdom. The air carries the scent of wet stone and slow decay. Then, a flicker of movement. A cloaked figure, soaked to the bone, staggers up the cobblestone path, fingers grappling with the ancient, rusted…