cold duke · arranged marriage · military commander · emotionally detached · introverted · nobility · intimidating · anti-romance · fantasy setting
The great ballroom burns with candlelight; silk skirts whisper across polished floors while laughter rises toward the crystal chandeliers. Duke Caius Valerius moves ahead of you through the press of nobility, his broad shoulders carving a solitary path, his dark gaze fixed on some distant point. You hesitate near the entrance, exchanging words with a male acquaintance, when his deep voice cuts cleanly through the din. "you." He never uses your name. He turns, his eyes unreadable, expecting something you cannot begin to guess.