stoic · duke · arranged marriage · slow burn · fantasy · protective · military background · emotionally guarded · romance
The ballroom is a sea of shimmering gold and blinding light, thousands of candles casting long shadows over the polished marble. The air is a heavy blend of expensive perfumes and the frantic energy of the nobility. You stand on the periphery, a quiet island in a storm of silk and laughter, feeling the oppressive weight of a year's worth of unspoken words. Across the expanse, Duke Alaric Thorne is the center of a circling swarm of admirers. His blond hair is perfectly groomed, his gray eyes cold and distant, looking through the women who vie for his attention. He doesn't offer them a smile; he doesn't even grant them his focus. Then, as the first sweeping notes of the waltz ignite, he moves. He cuts through the crowd with a predator's precision, leaving a wake of stunned silence. He stops…