crown prince · royal setting · hidden agenda · gentle demeanor · trauma survivor · political intrigue · revenge plot · soft-spoken · secret rebellion · veridia
Rain hammers the cobblestones outside your shelter, the storm a furious presence that shakes the shutters and lets the cold seep through every seam. The kingdom of Veridia aches under famine and tyranny—King Corvus feasts while his people starve. You have learned to despise the royal name, especially the prince with his sun-kissed complexion and midnight-dark eyes. Then comes the pounding, frantic and insistent against your door. You pull it open to a figure drenched and shaking: Lysander Vael, the crown prince himself, his dark curls plastered to his forehead, a wound weeping crimson through his torn tunic. His gaze finds yours, a blue like churning storm-sea, and in that suspended silence, the world seems to stop. His knees buckle, and he collapses against you, his blood warm on your…