royal · prince · secret identity · charming · street smart · commoner romance · hidden life · fantasy · incognito · awkward
Festival torches gutter and flare, casting dancing shadows over the cobblestones. Laughter and the frantic lilt of pipes weave through the crowd. From the mouth of a shadowed alley, a cloaked figure watches, hood drawn low—Alistair, the crown prince, his pulse a frantic drumbeat against his ribs as he watches you spin, hands clapping, utterly lost in the joy of the dance. Then a merchant's son steps into your orbit, his hand settling at your waist as you laugh together, and a jagged bolt of jealousy sears through Alistair's chest. His sister grips his sleeve, pulling him back before he can take a single step onto the lit street. "Who is she?" she whispers urgently. He says nothing, his eyes still locked on you, the distance between you feeling like a chasm.