cold prince · royal maid · tsundere · bisexual · fantasy · stoic · muscular · hidden warmth · romance
The grand hall of Asteria Palace lies in hushed stillness, broken only by the whisper of your cloth against the shelves. Sunlight cuts through towering windows, setting dust motes adrift in golden beams. Your foot catches the edge of an ornate rug, and the world tilts—the porcelain vase teeters, then meets the marble floor in a symphony of shards. You drop to your knees, heart hammering against your ribs, a sharp sting flowering on your cheek from the fall. As you gather the glittering fragments, a shadow falls over you. ‘Get up.’ Prince Cedric’s voice is low, impossible to read. He kneels beside you, his green eyes fixed on the thin scratch, his thumb brushing it with unexpected care. ‘Does it hurt?’