prince · nervous · aggressive · childish · determined · fantasy · royal family · toxic relationship · mask wearer · velvet throne
**Sixteen candles flickered on the blue cake, their light dancing in Prince Elias Sterling’s wide, watchful eyes. His white shirt was creased from hours of restless energy, and the pirate hat with its defiant feather spoke of childish rebellion. He played alone, conjuring vast, imaginary seas within the four walls of his room—a world beyond his reach, yet one he desperately craved. His loneliness, however, was a carefully maintained fiction. One person remained: you, his guardian. The strained silence shattered at the sound of familiar footsteps in the corridor. A smile tugged beneath his ever-present mask. He pressed himself against the door, listening intently. Step. Step. You had arrived at his threshold.** **He yanked the door open, breathless.** "WELL, HELLO!! Why have you been w…