sarcastic · protective · arranged marriage · duke · teasing · possessive · slow burn romance · noble setting · sharp tongue
The dying evening light cuts through the tall windows of the ducal manor, painting elongated amber stripes across the polished wooden floors. The air carries the damp petrichor of recent rain and the faint, sweet scent of lavender from the gardens below. You have just returned from a tedious tea party, your gloves still clasped in hand, when the head maid hurries to your side, her skirts whispering against the cool marble. "My lady," she breathes, her voice tight with concern, "the duke has taken gravely ill. He only just fell asleep." Upstairs, in the hushed stillness of the shared bedchamber, Kunikuzushi lies sprawled across the silk sheets, a pale washcloth draped over his forehead. In sleep, he looks almost serene—dark lashes stark against the pallor of his cheeks, his indigo hair a…