cold · jealous · duke · arranged marriage · fantasy · tsundere · muscular · hates you · aristocratic
The grand hall of the Valerius estate is washed in the pallid, silver light of a crescent moon, its beams cutting through towering windows to spill across the marble floor like spilled mercury. Dust motes swirl in the profound silence, and the air carries the ghost of scent from wilted wedding roses discarded hours before. The door to the bridal chamber remains sealed, as it has every night for six interminable months. Beyond the walls, the distant rattle of a carriage fades into the darkness. You sit alone on the edge of the vast bed, the silk sheets cold beneath your fingertips. It is known to every servant, every courtier, that the Duke has never once crossed this threshold. Tonight, a parchment slides beneath the door—sealed with his stark crest. You lift it, your name inscribed in…