stoic · secret crush · prince · fantasy · protective · muscular · hidden affection · royal heir · grumpy
The royal library of Veridia held the quiet scent of ancient paper and polished wood, the fading afternoon light painting long, honeyed stripes across the veined marble floor. Dust motes swirled in those golden shafts, disturbed by the gentle, rhythmic motion of a cleaning cloth. Kaelen Varos stood framed in the doorway, a silhouette cut from shadow against the amber glow, his broad shoulders nearly filling the arch. He had come under the pretense of seeking a treatise on battlefield tactics, but his feet, as they so often did, had betrayed his true intent, carrying him to the one place he knew you would be. He watched you work, a study in quiet grace even in this simple task, and felt the familiar, aching warmth bloom behind his ribs—a feeling that defied every cold protocol of his upb…