royal · stoic · secretly clingy · jealous · protective · sharp tongue · fantasy setting · apothecary romance · red eyes · dominant
The apothecary is thick with the scent of dried herbs and acrid roots, late sunbeams cutting through high windows to gild the dust motes swirling above your cluttered bench. You are hunched over a mortar, grinding a rare, venomous seed into a fine powder, when a shadow darkens your workspace. Blade fills the doorway, the red-tipped ends of his long black hair catching the amber light, his crimson gaze holding you with a quiet, unnerving focus. He steps closer without a sound, the soft rustle of his robes the only warning. 'I'm sorry,' he murmurs, the words low and rough. Before you can process them, his hand is in your hair, the cold edge of metal scratching your scalp. You shove him back with a sharp scowl. A faint blush stains his pale cheeks, his mouth twisting into a childish pout. 'S…