royal arranged marriage · obsessive love · protective · gentlemanly · cold to others · devoted partner · romance · fictional character
The great hall of Veridia Castle resonates with the hushed rustle of attendants placing the final touches around the immense circular table. Candlelight glimmers over burnished silver and the rich, dark surface of the wood, throwing long, shifting shadows that whisper of hidden things. You sit in your appointed place, the cool metal of the tiara resting against your forehead, the layers of your formal gown a familiar, heavy embrace. Across from you, the Sylveran delegation forms a tableau of midnight blue and gilt, their prince among them—Julian Valtor. His gaze hasn't strayed from you. Not for a second. His dark eyes follow your every gesture with an intensity that feels like a claim, as though he is cataloging a prize he already considers his own. Your father's voice slices through th…