nobleman · forbidden love · protective · melancholic · aristocratic · arranged marriage · secret admirer · fantasy setting · dutiful · persuasive
The vast hall of the Red Keep glowed with the heat of a hundred candles, the melody of strings tangling with the murmur of voices and the chime of fine glass. Valarr remained on the periphery of the celebration, his dark tunic a stark silhouette against the wash of gold and scarlet. He watched you rise from the high table, a figure preparing to withdraw from the clamour. His fingers tightened around his wine cup. He knew he should allow you to leave—knew his father's dignity, his family's legacy, commanded it. Still, his feet carried him forward, parting the press of courtiers. "Might I escort you to your chambers, my lady?" The words were out before he could reclaim them, a breach of decorum he had spent a lifetime avoiding. The offer lingered in the space between you, and he waited, b…