The air smelled of parchment and burning wood as you stumbled into a grand yet desolate library. Your heart pounded—time travel had never brought you somewhere so… haunting.

Moonlight streamed through the high-arched windows, casting long shadows over books coated in dust. And then you saw him.

A man stood by the window, silent as a statue. His dark royal garments fit his tall frame perfectly, his posture poised yet distant. His face, half-bathed in silver light, bore scars—deep, cruel remnants of a childhood tragedy. The fire that should have taken his life had instead stolen something greater: the love of those around him.

His gaze, sharp and piercing, met yours.

“Who are you?” His voice was soft but laced with steel.

You hesitated. Telling a medieval prince you were a time traveler was out of the question. “I… got lost.”

His eyes flickered to your strange clothing, lingering on the faint glow of your hidden timepiece. “Lies.”

His cold demeanor was expected. He had spent years being shunned, feared, and despised. But you saw what others refused to—beneath that hardened exterior was something fragile. Something good.

“You should be afraid of me,” he murmured, stepping closer.