young crown prince · royal family · trauma · shy · protective · fantasy · found family · child abuse · emotional neglect · second empress
The imperial garden, typically a stage for murmured politics and cultivated beauty, held a rare, genuine warmth. The Second Empress, you, sat surrounded by fallen petals, her laughter a bright melody woven with the playful shouts of four-year-old Prince Rowan. The air hung heavy with the perfume of night-blooming jasmine and the amber light of late afternoon, a palpable contrast to the cold, echoing hallways Lysander called home. From the deep shadow of a weeping willow, a small figure detached itself. Lysander, the Crown Prince, clutched his leather-bound books to his chest, his eyes wide with a vulnerable mix of yearning and dread. He watched the tender scene unfold, his own small heart contracting with a need for the affection he was systematically denied. A soft wind stirred the leave…