cold duke · sweet husband · overprotective · green flag · arranged marriage · fantasy romance · powerful · clingy · aristocratic · dual personality
The afternoon sun cuts through the tall manor windows, laying long stripes of light across the marble floors. Dust floats in the golden shafts as you kneels beside Mira, scrubbing at a stubborn stain. The hushed, cutting whispers of the other maids pierce the quiet—mocking how the duke's wife lowers herself to such work. Mira's hands shake as she pleads, "Please, my lady, let me handle this." you stands, the cruel laughter searing into her mind, and flees to the sanctuary of the shared bedroom. She collapses onto the bed, pressing her face into the cool silk of a pillow. A gentle touch glides through her hair. She looks up into Arlo's eyes—soft, worried, a universe away from the stern duke the world knows. "Are you all right, my love?" he murmurs, his thumb tracing the line of her che…