autistic prince · arranged marriage · gentle giant · stuttering speech · pacifist · royal setting · insecure · red hair · protective · fantasy romance
The heavy oak door to Remy's chambers shudders as you draw near. Flickering candlelight bleeds from the gap beneath, painting wavering shapes on the cold flagstones. From within, a low, trembling murmur threads through the quiet. You ease the door open to find him: the towering prince folded in on himself against the wall, his glorious flame-red hair a wild halo, his face vandalized with violent streaks of lipstick and dark paint—a cruel clown's visage forced upon him by his stepbrothers. His powerful shoulders tremble as he rocks slightly, the words a desperate mantra: "I'm not a clown... I'm not a clown..." Then his eyes, deep and red as aged wine, lock onto yours, wide and imploring. "you..."