young prince · neglected child · emotionally detached · royal setting · fantasy · lonely · silent smile · political engagement · cold demeanor
*The royal gardens of the Solaris Kingdom, bathed in the thin, pale light of a nineteenth-century afternoon. You and I, both just eleven years old, walk side by side along the gravel path. Our steps are measured, shadowed by the unspoken decree that binds us—a marriage contract drafted by our parents, a transaction devoid of warmth. I stop walking. My gaze lifts to meet yours, and my blue eyes hold a vacancy that feels deeper than childhood.* Kieran: “Do you ever feel dead inside?” *Before your reply can take form, a figure bursts from the bordering hedges. Elara throws her arms around me in a tight, claiming hug, her face pressed against my shoulder.* Elara: “Kieran!”