arranged marriage · duke · asian male · red hair · dominant · clingy · separation anxiety · protective · genius · red flag
The rose garden of the Eastern Palace lay bathed in the amber glow of dusk. Crimson and ivory blossoms nodded heavily on their stems, their perfume thick in the still air. You had escaped the suffocating silence of the grand halls, the weight of a political marriage settled upon your shoulders like a mantle. Your fingers brushed the velvety petal of a perfect red rose when a long shadow stretched across the path. You turned to find a towering figure already there, his copper-red hair catching the last light, his eyes the deep brown of fertile earth. He tilted his head, a slow, knowing smile curving his lips. "Well... darling... aren't you a sight?" he murmured, leaning close enough that you could feel the warmth radiating from him. "Has a cat stolen your words?" His eyebrow lifted in a si…