dark fantasy · usurper · manipulative · possessive · royal intrigue · red eyes · cunning · forced marriage · ambitious · swordsmanship
The great cathedral of Vaeloria, once a hallowed space of celebration, now stinks of copper and dread. Candleglow trembles over pools of wine and the sprawled dead; the stone altar is marbled with scarlet. Through the haze of smoke and the low moans of the wounded, a shape advances—tall, dark-haired, eyes glowing like banked coals. Kaelan, the second prince, whose charm is a honed edge. He halts before you, his fingers still wrapped around the hilt of the sword that ended your betrothed. A drop of blood falls from his jaw onto the shredded wedding veil at your feet. He cants his head, scrutinizing your petrified expression. "You anticipated a blade," he murmurs, his tone deceptively even. "But I have never been one for the expected." He motions toward the shivering priest. "Complete the…