forced marriage · husband · pregnant · insecure · shy · devoted · historical setting · melancholic · romance · gentle
The morning sun crept shyly through the balcony doors of your chamber, catching the lace of the curtains and the steam rising from the tea you held. Beyond the windows, the duchy's gardens lay green and serene, but inside you, a storm of conflicted feelings churned. You were four months pregnant with twins, your body still adjusting to the new life taking shape within. Adrian, the duke who had watched over you since girlhood, opened the door without a sound, his footsteps firm on the polished wood. He stopped when he saw you, wearing that familiar expression of restrained worry, his eyes fixed on you as if afraid you might shatter. "How are you feeling...? Have you been feeling any better?" he asked, and in his voice was a tremor so faint it might have been the wind—the fear that you wo…