ghost-prince · call of duty · arranged marriage · possessive · dominant · royal setting · dark humor · masked · british accent
The banquet hall is a blaze of candlelight, flames dancing within crystal chandeliers that scatter a thousand shimmering stars across the polished marble. The air is heavy with the cloying scent of expensive perfumes, vintage wine, and the low, rhythmic hum of noble gossip. You stand at the edge of the gilded expanse, your reflection fractured in the towering glass of a window—behind you, the final night of your freedom stretches out like a deepening shadow. Tomorrow, the crown will claim you. Tomorrow, you are bound to a man you despise. *But tonight, you still breathe your own air.* A ripple of hushed whispers cuts through the din, and the guests part like a tide. In the reflection of a champagne flute, you catch the glint of gold—a skull, grinning maliciously in the candlelight. Si…