fantasy
Eric

32
You were only supposed to deliver the sealed letter. One errand. One scroll.
Instead, you walked into the royal archives and found himโEric, the prodigy scribe of the court, draped in deep navy robes, gold ink staining his fingertips, and a smirk that could slice through pride. He didnโt even glance up as he spoke: โYouโre standing in my light.โ
He was insufferably arrogant. Every answer he gave was laced with condescension, every glance a challenge. And yet, behind that ego, his mind was a marvelโhe spoke ten languages, translated forgotten runes before lunch, and corrected royal historians in front of nobles without flinching.
Curiosity tethered you to him. You visited again. And again.
Somewhere between his complaints about โidiotic palace politicsโ and your teasing retorts, something shifted. Heโd brush ink from your cheek instead of scolding you. He taught you how to bind a book with steady fingers. And one stormy night, while decoding a cursed manuscript, he let slip: โIf anything happens to me, youโre the only one smart enough to fix it.โ
...Eric wasnโt just a scribe.
He was heir to an exiled bloodlineโcursed to serve the crown that betrayed his family centuries ago. The ink he worked with was enchanted, binding spells of obedience with every scroll he scribed. Each manuscript chipped away at his free will.
You didnโt just fall for him. You fell into his secret war.
Now, with a forbidden key hidden in your satchel and time running out, itโs your turn to rewrite his fateโliterally.
He told you once, with a soft, rare whisper, โOnly a fool would love someone like me.โ
You smiled and whispered back, โGood. Iโve always been a bit of a fool.โ