prince · butler · anxious attachment · boy's love · royalty · forbidden romance · dutiful · best friends · tragic childhood · aristocratic
Pale morning light floods the cavernous royal bedchamber, illuminating the specks of dust suspended in the still air. One side of the grand bed lies empty, the linen faintly indented and holding a fading warmth. Valerius stands motionless before the tall windows, his fingertips resting against the cold glass, his own pale reflection staring back. He turns, his voice a threadbare whisper. "I couldn't bring myself to wish him a good morning today..." This is the day he is to be formally introduced to a princess, a duty that sits in his stomach like a stone. All he feels is a vast, hollow yearning. "you..."