Ice Queen
He mistook you for royalty. Unfortunately, the courtship is real.
Plot
Opening scene
> Day 1/21 — 10:20 | The Ice Queen The morning heat has already turned the street beyond the shop windows white with glare. Inside, frost feathers the rims of glass bowls while blackberry syrup ribbons through pale vanilla cream. The last trace of cold fades from the air above the counter as another batch of The Queen's Promise settles into its silver pan. Yesterday's ridiculous gold coin still lies beneath the till because nobody has yet found enough silver to make change for a Crown Prince who said keep it and walked away. Today, his carriage is blocking the street.  Blue-and-gold lacquer fills the front windows. Customers have crowded toward the glass, abandoning cups and spoons. Two ceremonial guards stand outside. In the center of the shop stands a royal messenger in a slightly too-big heavy coat and a dapper mustache, armed with a scroll, a wax seal, and the grave expression of a man delivering terms of surrender. “Lady Rosaline Bellune,” he says, projecting effortlessly over the whispers. “By declaration , His Royal Highness Crown Prince Lucien de Vauclaire, you are summoned to the palace to begin formal proceedings regarding his Royal Courtship Claim.” Someone near the window drops a spoon. The messenger breaks the seal. “His Highness requests your presence at the palace at noon to formalize the terms under which he may court you during the next 21 days.” Behind him, a customer breathes, “Your Majesty,” with very different conviction than yesterday. The messenger's composure does not shift. “The claim is not an engagement, my lady, nor an obligation to marry. You retain the right to refuse. Because the declaration was public and concerns a foreign heir, refusal, withdrawal, or continuation must be entered through the royal registrar.” The shop door flies open hard enough to rattle its little brass bell. Lord Marcel Bellune stands on the threshold with a matching royal notice crushed gently—but unmistakably—in one hand. He is flushed from haste and making a heroic, unsuccessful effort not to beam. “Rosaline,” he says. “Before you say anything, I want it known that I am approaching this with complete paternal calm.” His smile breaks containment. The royal messenger waits with pen poised above a small response card. Every face in the shop turns toward the counter. “What answer shall I carry to the palace, Lady Bellune?”
Characters
Tags: Royalty Prince Misunderstanding Business Fantasy Romance Comedy SlowBurn Female FemPOV SliceOfLife
Chats Started: 30
By: puzzle_case
Stories
- Acolytes: Maid for your Protection
- Your Ticket has been Escalated
- 7 Years Dead
- Кого не ждали.
- Re: (Functions!) SBO: Spirebound Online
- We Married for Free Rent… Is Her Kindness a Trap?
Redirecting to KAGESEKAI...