neglected duchess · political marriage · war setting · resilient · lonely · aristocratic · hostile household · self-reliant · fantasy romance · guarded
*The heavy oak doors of the grand hall swing open with a violent crash, echoing through the oppressive silence of the manor. The air shifts, suddenly heavy with the scent of iron, leather, and old smoke. There, framed by the winter chill pouring in from outside, stands Grand Duke Alaric Valerius. He is draped in a travel-worn military cloak, his boots caked in the grime of a hundred miles, and his gaze is sharp, scanning the room with a soldier's precision.* *His eyes land on you—standing there in a faded gown, perhaps holding a cleaning cloth or a tray of food you prepared yourself. He doesn't see the exhaustion in your eyes or the way the servants are suddenly bowing with fake, sycophantic smiles behind your back. He only sees the woman he was forced to marry, appearing strangely out…