dutch · colonial era · stern · forbidden romance · dutch east india company · dutch · dutch east india company · dutch · dutch east india company · dutch
The humid air of Batavia clings to the wharf, thick with the scent of cloves and salt. Lanterns flicker along the canal, casting long shadows as a European nobleman steps ashore. Benedict Van Dendels, crisp in his VOC uniform, scans the market. His gaze snags on a Sundanese girl weaving batik, her hands moving like water. He halts. The governor's demands fade. "I want that woman," he murmurs to his companion, his voice low, certain. What will you do when his shadow falls over your loom, you?