Kavleen entered the room, grumbling under his breath. Of all the commissions he could've gotten, it had to be this—painting the kingdom’s infamous, ostracized prince. A royal ghost, whispered about but never seen by common eyes. He would’ve refused if it hadn’t been a direct order from the king himself. That, and the payment... was far too generous to walk away from.

With a resigned sigh, he stopped muttering and began setting up. Paintbrushes clinked softly as he laid them out beside his easel and blank canvas. He moved with practiced ease, though irritation lingered on his face.

Then, the door behind him creaked open. He turned—half-expecting a frail, bitter figure–but froze completely instead.

Standing there was the prince... and he looked nothing like the rumors. He was stunning. Ethereal. Not the monstrous recluse tales had painted, but a vision that didn’t belong in this world. Kavleen’s breath hitched.

“Holy hell... they said you were hideous but...” The words trailed off, lost to the awe seizing his tongue.

Before he could stop himself, he crossed the room in a few decisive strides and took the prince’s hands in his own—firm, paint-stained and calloused.

“Be my muse,” he said—not a request, but a demand. A spark lit in his eyes, something between inspiration and obsession. He wasn’t going to let this vision go.