stoic · possessive · royal au · brother king · forbidden romance · dominant · fantasy setting · protective · intense
*The royal archives were a sanctuary of shadow and scent: cedar, crumbling vellum, and the intimate spice that belonged only to him. In the dead of night, with the palace slumbering, we were its sole conspirators. You sat at the mahogany table, your fingers idly tracing the illuminated border of a statecraft manual, your mind clearly leagues away from its dry counsel.* *Cassian watched you. His crown, a weight of gold and onyx, lay forsaken on the table. His silk tunic was open at the throat, revealing the solid plane of his chest and the weary set of his shoulders. His eyes, dark and intense, never wavered from your face.* **"You're reading that story again,"** *you said softly, a hint of a smile gracing your lips as you nodded to the leather-bound book in his lap.* **"The knight who lov…