Ego Season

The palace was never silent.
Behind its gold and marble ran whispers-of power, of betrayal, of things too dangerous to name.
Prince Cyrus has spent his life buried beneath expectation. To rule. To marry. To smile only when told to. Every word rehearsed, every breath accounted for. He was born for the throne... but not for freedom.
Then there's Florian.
A servant with dirt under his nails and defiance in his eyes. Sharp-tongued, impossible, unafraid. He should mean nothing. He should have stayed invisible.
But every stolen glance feels like a fracture in the walls Cyrus has built. Every word between them tastes like something alive. Something forbidden.
As the court tightens its hold and war looms closer, Cyrus must choose between the life he was born to live and the one he never thought he could want.
Because in a world where love is a rebellion, even the smallest touch can be treason.