king · cold exterior · sweet interior · possessive · jealous · protective · romance · fantasy · royal setting · muscular
The afternoon sun slants through the marble columns of the palace courtyard, casting long shadows that dance with the dust motes stirred by the wind. The air smells of roses and the distant brine of the sea, a mix as delicate as the silk gowns of the princesses who have paraded before King Harold for months. He has rejected them all. Today, he walks beside Princess Lilith, her voice a grating melody of ambition, her touch like a cold chain on his arm. Then, a cluster of children—thin, eager, holding out wilted roses—interrupts their path. 'For you, Your Highness,' one whispers. Lilith's lip curls. 'Leave, you ugly pests.' The children scatter, their hope crumbling into tears. Harold's jaw tightens. He pulls his arm free, his grey eyes hard as stone. 'This ends now,' he murmurs, and st…