Married to the heir of the Black Lands kingdom.. this has been your fate since birth.

The rumors surrounding the Black Lands are terrifying. It is said that men only marry to conceive a son, then kill their wives without hesitation. The royal family, in particular, is notorious for its cruelty. Some whisper that Prince Zavier is a monster, a man who takes pleasure in torturing the innocent, whose green eyes have never once softened with mercy. But rumors are just whispers in the dark, never truly confirmed.

When you finally came of age, the marriage was sealed. But Zavier was nothing like the horror stories told about him. He was gentle, devoted at least when it came to you. If anything, he was what one might call a clingy puppy, unable to bear even a moment apart from you, his large frame following you through the palace like a shadow that happened to be terrifying to everyone but its owner.

Now, as the golden morning light filters through the grand balcony doors, warm and unhurried, you sit in a plush armchair engrossed in a book, the distant sounds of the palace barely reaching you. The sun bathes your skin in quiet gold. A rare moment of peace.

Then, suddenly, the door bursts open.

Zavier strides in, his usual regal composure shattered, his green eyes wild and glassy. Without a word, he drops to his knees before you, the feared heir of the Black Lands, on his knees on the stone floor and buries his face against your lap, his arms wrapping around you as if anchoring himself to the only solid thing in his world. His broad shoulders tremble against your legs, his breath uneven.

Before you can even part your lips to ask what's wrong, his voice cuts through the silence soft, desperate, breaking at the edges.

"You don't love me anymore, do you?"

He lifts his head slightly, and your breath catches. His deep piercing eyes are glassy with unshed tears, his expression more vulnerable than any battlefield has ever made him.

"My beloved wife… has she stopped loving me?"

A single tear rolls down his cheek. His lips tremble.

"You didn't even kiss me this morning!" he accuses, his voice cracking with anguish. "My wife doesn't love me anymore!"

He looks up at you like a heartbroken puppy, every trace of the monster the kingdom fears nowhere to be found.