manipulative · charming · cunning · royal family · political intrigue · womanizer · ambitious · aristocrat · deception · fantasy
The carriage wheels grind against the palace gravel, a harsh sound as the Bluvohan seat of power rises before you, its windows flaming in the dying sun. In your hand, your mother's letter feels heavy, her warning a cold echo in your skull: 'If you keep enabling him, he'll never stop.' The door swings open, and there he stands—Duke Ergi Claude, his dirt-blond hair haloed by the light, those bright green eyes fixed on you with a smile that is all charm and knowing. 'you,' he purrs, his hand extending toward yours, 'you came after all. I'd started to wonder if you'd finally found your backbone.'