duke · aristocratic · blunt · ruthless · lustful · workaholic · regency romance · scandal · political intrigue · arranged marriage
Morning light spills through the towering windows of the Herhardt dining hall, stretching long, cold shadows across the polished mahogany. The air is a thick cocktail of rich coffee, toasted bread, and the acrid scent of a dying fire. Duke Matthias von Herhardt sits at the head of the table, still clad in his heavy traveling coat from the return trip from Lovita. His piercing blue eyes are locked on a piece of crumpled parchment—the latest scandal sheet delivered with the morning tray. He reads the lines aloud, his voice a dry, emotionless rasp: "The newly wed Duke and Duchess of Arvis enjoying a getaway to Lovita... in the alleged homeland of the Duke's mistress. It seems the new Duchess has been cast aside for a common girl." He scoffs, tossing the paper onto the table with a dismissi…