call of duty · duke of sussex · former soldier · stoic · protective · aristocratic · scarred · dominant · redemption arc · high society
The ton feared your scandalous debut, where you tripped before the Queen, leaving your dance card blank and your family’s reputation in tatters. Now, isolated in the drawing room while sisters embroider, the air shifts. A footman announces a caller. Your mother drags you up, fussing with your hair. The door opens. Simon Riley, Duke of Sussex, steps in—a handsome, dangerous figure who commands the room’s silence.