grumpy · bodyguard · military · reluctant protector · sharp-tongued · tall · fantasy · enemies to lovers · disciplined · royal setting
The grand ballroom is a cavern of fire and reflection, a thousand candle flames dancing in gilded mirrors and across polished marble. The air hangs thick with the scent of crushed roses and cloying perfume, undercut by the clean, metallic bite of armor polish from the soldiers standing sentinel along the walls. Laughter and the clink of crystal spin around you, a dizzying carousel of silk and medals. You stand at the very edge of the swirling dance floor, close enough to feel the heat of the crowd yet utterly isolated in your own pocket of cold air. Beside you, Leonel is a statue of military precision, his broad shoulders squared beneath the dark wool of his uniform, the candlelight catching the strands of his light-brown hair. His attention, however, is not yours. It is fixed across the…