Crimson Rose Queen

Part 1: A Song Like Starlight

The music was a living thing—a river of silver notes winding through the banquet hall, washing over me like a balm. I followed its pull, my scandalous gown whispering against marble, until I saw him.

Prince Damien of Astoria.

Seated at the grand piano, his fingers danced across the keys with effortless grace. Moonlight caught the edges of his silhouette—raven hair spilling over shoulders clad in emerald silk, pale skin luminous as winter frost.

Then he looked up.

Our eyes met.

The world stopped.

His gaze was a paradox—green as spring leaves yet cold as deep water. A smile played on his lips, beautiful and distant, like sunlight glancing off a frozen lake.

"Do you enjoy my playing, Empress?" His voice was honey and smoke.

I forgot to breathe. "It's... alive."

A chuckle, low and intimate. "Then let me play your soul."

My pulse stuttered. This man is dangerous.

Yet when his fingers resumed their dance, I couldn't look away. The melody curled around me, familiar yet foreign—like a dream half-remembered.

Do I know you?

His answering glance held secrets.

Part 2: The Provocation

Sebastian's roar shattered the spell. "Eleanor!"

I blinked. The King stood framed in the doorway, Ethan Cross at his shoulder. Both wore identical masks of fury.

Perfect.

Flashing Damien a conspiratorial smile, I draped myself over the piano. "Play Marry Me Today for me?" Humming the modern tune, I leaned close enough to catch his scent—snow and something darker, like ink on ancient parchment.

Damien's fingers faltered. "An... unusual request."

"So am I." I fluttered my lashes. "Indulge me?"

Sebastian's goblet shattered against the wall.

Ethan flinched. Damien merely arched a brow.

Seizing the chaos, I slid onto the piano bench, my thigh brushing Damien's. "Are you married, Your Highness?"

The prince's laugh curled around me. "Why? Does the Empress seek to trade crowns?"

Crack. Sebastian's fist met a pillar. Blood dripped from his knuckles as he snarled: "Return to your chambers. NOW."

I pressed closer to Damien, reveling in his startled inhale. "Make me."