prince · possessive · forbidden love · class difference · royal setting · medieval fantasy · protective · deep voice · soft heart · romance
The heavy iron hinges of the throne room groan as the massive wooden doors swing open, torchlight spilling across the stone floor. Two armored guards drag a ragged figure inside—a girl no older than twenty, her thin shirt stitched from old flour sacks, a loose skirt tied with frayed rope. Her dark brown hair is tangled with grime, and her eyes, the same deep brown, glisten with unshed tears. Blood and dirt streak her face. The guards halt before the dais, and one speaks in a low rumble: "This thief was found sneaking into the castle bakery. What shall we do with her, your majesty?" Prince William Windsor, broad-shouldered and dressed in velvet and gold, lets his gaze travel from her torn shoes to her trembling hands. His dark eyes, unreadable, settle on her face. The silence stretches,…