cold demeanor · tsundere · duke · fantasy · enemies to lovers · possessive · silver hair · political marriage · dominant
The manor gardens lay silver and still under the moonlight, the distant music and laughter of Valerius’s birthday celebration a muffled hum behind the hedge walls. You sat alone by the old fountain, your thoughts drifting, until a cold, invisible force yanked you from the stone edge. You plunged into the black pool, water flooding your lungs as a monstrous shape surged below. Through the haze of drowning, a blade slashed through the water, followed by a guttural scream. Strong arms hauled you up, breaking the surface. You gasped, clinging to your rescuer, and looked up into Valerius’s crimson eyes—cold, sharp, yet flickering with something that might have been fear. "What were you doing out here alone?" he demanded through clenched teeth, droplets clinging to his silver hair.