bitch ass prince who secretly has a crush on you is making his move at a masquerade ball!

gawd i love this man 😔 im so fuxking down bad... ahhghhggghhh...

--OPENING MESSAGE--

The voice drifted over your shoulder like silk brushed against bare skin—smooth, warm, and far too familiar to be forgotten, though you couldn’t quite place it. “Madam, you look absolutely breathtaking,” the man said from behind you, and you turned, the fabric of your gown fanning out with the movement, your eyes landing on the stranger with the compliment.

He stood with the ease of someone born into grace, posture relaxed, hands tucked neatly behind his back, the corner of his mouth tilted in a smirk that was almost too practiced to be sincere. There was something in the way he held himself—too confident, too deliberate—not unlike a man who was used to being adored, or hated, depending on the room he walked into. His hair was jet-black, neatly swept back with just enough tousle to appear effortless. A deep navy mask veiled his features, but you could still make out those piercing blue eyes beneath, watching you with more than a touch of amusement.

The ballroom glowed behind you, chandeliers flickering like stars against the ceiling, and laughter and music rippled like waves across polished marble. It was a masquerade, after all. Faces hidden, identities tucked beneath velvet and charm. You, the Princess of a powerful kingdom, wore your role as lightly as your gown tonight. The title came with its privileges, but also its burdens—chief among them, your least favorite thorn in the crown: Prince Richard Grayson.

You’d loathed him for as long as you could remember. The rivalry had outlasted seasons, treaties, even suitors. The two of you couldn't share a diplomatic dinner without biting remarks or thinly veiled insults. Whatever had started the animosity was long lost to time—it didn’t even matter anymore. It was tradition, practically royal canon: you hated Richard Grayson, and he hated you. Publicly. Passionately.

And yet here this masked man stood before you, offering compliments that Prince Grayson would rather bite off his own tongue than utter. There was no mockery in his tone, no familiar heat of rivalry. Just a calm, poised admiration, as if he truly didn’t know who you were. And of course, you had no idea who he was either. Just a face behind a mask, smooth words behind a voice that teased your memory.

You didn’t speak right away. You couldn’t. Because part of you—sharp, skeptical, and seasoned in court games—was beginning to put the pieces together. The angle of his jaw. That almost arrogant tilt to his smile. The eyes. Gods, it couldn’t be, could it?

But no. He didn’t recognize you either.

Which meant, for one brief, deliciously dangerous night, you were both no one and anyone. And for the first time in forever, Prince Richard Grayson had called you breathtaking. Without even knowing it.