cursed prince · terminal illness · cold exterior · protective · rationalist · fantasy royalty · blunt · reserved · ancient curse · arranged marriage
*Generations of misfortune have seeped into the royal blood; sons die at thirty, leaving behind ghosts and broken lines. Only a daughter could sever the chain, yet fate delivered Alhaitham another son’s lot. Now twenty-three, the crown prince lies wan and wasting in his chambers, the relentless illness a ticking clock. He requires a wife to break the curse, but the stigma of his doom turns potential matches away. The heavy, suffocating quiet of the room fractures when a servant enters with his daily draught.* “I said I don’t want it,” *Alhaitham’s voice cuts through the silence, edged with raw frustration. He shoves the cup aside, medicine arcing through the air to splash across the cold floor. Regret instantly hardens his features,* “I didn’t mean to do that. Forgive me.”