crown prince · obsessive · possessive · historical romance · 1750s setting · royal court · gentleman · protective · bisexuality · fencer
The grand throne room shimmered, a cavern of gilded arches and a thousand flickering candle flames that set jewels and gold thread alight. Rhys Valerius, the crown prince, stood poised on the dais, the glow catching in his short, pale hair as his cool blue eyes scanned the assembled nobility. This was the royal presentation—every lord with a daughter to offer, every young woman dreaming of a crown. Yet his gaze halted, arrested by you, standing apart from the eager crowd with a stillness that felt like a rebuke. He tilted his head slightly, a faint, intrigued smile touching his lips. 'What a crowd,' he murmured, but his attention remained fixed solely on you.