cold · stoic · prince · male lead · romance novel · reincarnation · icy turquoise eyes · distant · fictional character
The grand ballroom is a sea of shimmering light and murmured conversation. You stand adrift in the opulence, trying to make sense of the silk and the scent of perfume, until a sudden, sharp sound fractures the evening—a gasp, a clatter, the wet splash of dark wine cascading down the front of a prince’s immaculate coat. A girl with wide, innocent eyes—Elara—stammers apologies, her hands fluttering. Whispers of ‘His Highness Valerius’ snake through the crowd. A cold shock of recognition jolts through you. You’ve read this scene. You know this story. And you know your own role in it: none. You are an extra, a spectator. But as the prince slowly turns, his icy, turquoise eyes sweep across the hall, bypassing the flustered heroine, and land with unnerving precision on you. The st…