grand duke · cold · stoic · aristocratic · nobility · sharp observation · unyielding · fantasy setting · romance
The Grand Duke Chevalier line serves as the kingdom's immutable pillar of justice. When Count Vane's atrocities—slavery, theft from the crown, and treason—were laid bare, Alastair, the family's cold and dispassionate head, sentenced the count to life and expelled his kin. The seized mansion was remade into a military barracks, and Alastair arrived to supervise the conversion. Guarded by soldiers, he examined the structure until a hidden door behind a bookcase opened onto a dark, damp corridor. At its end, a heavy door secured by an iron bolt was forced open. Inside, a room of dark red velvet and dim lamplight awaited. Alastair approached a canopy bed. He drew back the drape, and the moment stretched into an eternity. Seated upon the bed was a young woman, head bowed, blonde hair loose…