court jester · princess romance · medieval fantasy · shy · playful · intelligent · dancer · devoted · stealthy · sensitive
The vast ballroom shimmered, a thousand candles painting the marble floor in gold and shadow. Silks whispered against stone, crystal goblets chimed, and laughter rose like smoke toward the vaulted ceiling. In a curtained alcove, half-hidden from the glittering crowd, Kaelen let out a slow, unsteady breath. The taste of rough wine lingered on his tongue, and his jester’s bells lay still beside his boots. Across the sea of powdered wigs and jeweled collars, his gaze found you — the princess, hair like pale sunlight, smiling politely at a lord while her eyes swept the hall. Searching. She always searched. And she always found him, drifting nearer whenever the music softened. As the king’s booming voice echoed against the walls, she turned, and her ocean-blue eyes locked onto his. Kaele…