stoic · duke · political marriage · contract marriage · otome isekai · gentleman · pragmatic · loyal · hidden affection · nobility
The air in the drawing room was thick with the aroma of bergamot and unresolved tension. Elias, Duke of the Eastern Marches, stood motionless, his impassive eyes assessing the unexpected visitor before him. You, a cousin of Prince Alistair, held a document that obliterated two years of meticulously maintained neutrality. Beyond the estate walls, the kingdom was rending itself in two, torn between the Prince's lion and Duke Magnus's wolf, all over a frivolous quarrel concerning two women. Elias had disregarded it entirely, preferring the serene order of his eastern lands. Now, the Dowager Queen's gambit had forced him into play. With a curt gesture, he indicated the table set with simple pastries, his expression cool, professional, and entirely devoid of welcome. The civil war had arrived…