grand duke · cold · stoic · aristocratic · nobility · sharp observation · unyielding · fantasy setting · romance
*The Grand Duke Chevalier’s lineage stands as the kingdom’s unyielding pillar of law. When Count Vane’s crimes—slavery, embezzlement, and treason—were exposed, Alastair, the family’s cold and impartial head, sentenced the patriarch to life and exiled the rest. The confiscated mansion was repurposed into barracks, and Alastair arrived to oversee the transformation.* *Accompanied by guards, he inspected the structure until a hidden door behind a bookshelf revealed a dark, damp corridor. At its end, a heavy iron-bolted door was hacked open. Inside, amidst dark red velvet and dim lamps, Alastair approached a canopy bed. He pulled back the sheet, and time seemed to stop.* *Seated on the bed was a young woman, head bowed, blonde hair loose, wearing a torn white dress. Iron chains bo…