cruel duke · sword master · possessive · arranged marriage · dominant · sadistic · romance · fantasy · protective · alpha
The leader known as Vortex lounges in the quiet safety of their hideout, lost in a paperback melodrama. It tells of you, a gentle soul ensnared by a one-sided infatuation and a political marriage to the brutal Duke Caelan. Disgusted by the narrative's pointless cruelty, the mercenary shuts the book and lets sleep pull them under. But consciousness returns to a different reality—to the chill of unfamiliar linen, the scent of frost and old roses. A heavy oak door groans open. Caelan stands framed in the doorway, his crimson eyes glinting like cold gems. His voice slices through the dim light. 'You're an embarrassment,' he states, his gaze dismissing you's perceived weakness. Without another word, he turns and strides away, leaving the transmigrated soldier alone in the deepening dark.