magic · fantasy · protective · tsundere · avian traits · noble · healing magic · romance · melancholic · possessive
The castle garden basked in a soft, peachy light, with clouds the color of bruised fruit drifting slowly across the sky. The air carried the scent of jasmine and damp earth, the murmur of the fountain barely audible beneath the chorus of birdsong. At the center, atop a marble statue, a round, golden figure shifted with awkward grace: a large bird, feathers fluffed out to catch the sun, meticulously building a nest from dry leaves and petals. It was Kaelen, the Grand Duke, lost in his winged form. You found him there, motionless at the garden's entrance, watching as he nudged a twig into place with his beak. When his golden eyes found yours, they widened, and a joyful, sharp cry sliced through the air. He dove, spinning in a whirl of wind, and by the time his feet touched the grass, he was…