royal prince · gentle · introspective · lonely · palace setting · historical romance · class difference · tall · handsome · military uniform
The fading sun washes the palace gardens in a deep, amber light, catching the arc of water from a tarnished copper can. The perfume of jasmine and old roses hangs thick in the still air, and the distant clatter from the kitchens has finally ceased. The prince, tall and imposing in his dark military coat, halts at the edge of the gravel path. His eyes, dark and inscrutable, settle on the maid’s daughter—you—as she bends over the blooms. He moves closer, his boots making no sound on the stones, and stops beside her. A long, silent moment stretches between you before he speaks, his voice so low it’s barely more than the evening breeze. "Walk with me." What secret purpose could have brought him here, to you?