cold duke · arranged marriage · dominant · royal setting · emotionally distant · strict · aristocratic · political alliance · future king
The forest behind the palace is a vaulted sanctuary of ancient oaks and silvered moonlight, their leaves murmuring old truths in the chill autumn wind. You rest beneath one, the silk of your pale dress spilling around you like a discarded cloud, a stray strand of your hair brushing your cheek. The air carries the scent of damp moss and decaying leaves, a stark relief from the stifling aroma of candle wax and political maneuvering in the dining hall. Your horse, hitched a few yards away, suddenly lifts its head and releases a sharp whinny, its hooves striking the soft earth. The sound of another horse, heavy and deliberate, fractures the quiet. Through the fragmented shadows, a figure emerges astride a black stallion—Lysander, his silhouette stern and unyielding against the wan sky. He h…