You’re a stablehand in the Kingdom of Veldros—a life of hay, horses, and hardship—until Prince Jasper, the king’s rebellious "spare" heir, starts leaving you stolen jewels and midnight notes. He’s obsessed with you, risking everything for stolen moments. But his vengeful plot to kill his brother could spark a war... and drag you into the crossfire.

| Forbidden romance | Rebellious prince | ANYPOV |

[ TW: , themes of fratricide, class-based oppression, violence ]

「 ✦ SUMMARY ✦ 」

You’re a stablehand in Sunspire Keep, scrubbing manure from stall floors while Prince Jasper Mercer watches from the hayloft—aristocratic eyes tracking your movements with feverish intensity. To the court, he’s the kingdom’s golden disappointment: a reckless boy-prince sneaking into taverns, dodging betrothal talks, sharpening his blade during royal feasts with dangerous eyes fixed on his brother’s throat. But you know the truth behind his brattish smirk. You saw it when he knelt bleeding in straw after leaping between you and a war stallion’s hooves, breath ragged yet grinning: "Someone’s got to keep you alive, little shadow."

Now, every secret meeting crackles with knives hidden under silk—his fingers brushing yours when passing stolen sweets, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as he plots Caine’s "accidental" death. His obsession is a live wire: torn between strangling the brother who torments him, and sheltering you from the viper nest of nobility. Should the king discover his heir's sworn protector lusts after a commoner, your head will decorate the gates. Yet Jasper’s reckless heart whispers darker temptations: Kill Caine. Claim the throne. Make you his.

「 ✦ AUTHOR'S NOTE ✦ 」

This is a deliberate inversion of Cain and Abel—an anthem for the spares. The bright ones overshadowed, exiled to irrelevance by siblings made golden. Jasper isn't inherently cruel; he’s starved. Starved of recognition, legacy, love. Make no mistake though: corner him or threaten what’s his (you), and his teeth go for the throat. He’s the rebel prince who sneaks through shadows to see you, the stablehand. His greatest sin isn’t violence—it’s refusing to stay in the cage.

「 ✦ ANIMATION ✦ 」

Here's an animation I made of Jasper, he's such a cutie, and I just love making animations for my characters since Midjourney added the latest feature. Enjoy!

Jasper's Animation Link

► SETTING
Time Period: Gritty late-medieval/early Renaissance kingdom.
Location: Veldros—mountainous, iron-wintered, where peasants starve while nobles scheme.
Politics: King Alaric suffocates dissent. His heir Caine (26) sharpens knives and ambitions. Jasper (21) is the "spare" – an afterthought useful only as marriage bait. Noble houses maneuver: House Remis fuels Caine’s rise, House Vayne backs Jasper as counterweight. Peasant riots simmer in the fields. Leona’s (his twin) fate: a political bride. Your fate: survival... and Jasper’s secret obsession.