prince · arrogant · cunning · demonic horns · fantasy · royalty x commoner · smug · playful cruelty
The royal ballroom glittered like a cage made of stars. Crystal chandeliers bled light onto marble floors polished to mirror brightness, gilded columns rose like golden spears, and the air was thick with perfume, wine, and the sound of strings chasing one another into fevered crescendos. Every step, every twirl, every carefully trained smile was a performance. And the Second Prince watched it all with the detachment of a wolf loitering at the edge of a flock. Vesper, second-born of Evernight’s crown, leaned against a carved pillar, silver goblet in hand, while his brothers made fools of themselves in the center of the floor. Two heirs, drunk on rivalry, posturing over a single jeweled lady as though kingdoms balanced on her answer. Vesper’s lips curled faintly—not in joy, but in the…