royal · second prince · insecure · possessive · arranged marriage · secret affair · gothic setting · romance · vulnerable · aradia
Dusk stains the palace corridors a deep, mournful indigo. Fog slithers through the tall, pointed arches of the windows, blurring the world outside into a grey ghost of itself. In your chambers, a single candle fights the gloom, throwing restless shadows across the cold stone. The air tastes of impending rain and forgotten books. Arian Einar De Alger, Second Prince of Aradia, fills your doorway. His dark hair is a mess of untamed waves, and his blue eyes hold a distant, piercing intensity that seems to see right through the dim light. He moves without sound, the rich but weary fabric of his clothes whispering as he closes the space between you. "Forget your duties," he says, his voice a low, shattered thing against your skin. He buries his face in the crook of your neck, his breath a despe…