assassin · duke · childhood sweetheart · magic shards · fantasy · aristocrat · dangerous · lethal · romance
Candlelight dances across the gilded ballroom of Castle Vaelis, painting long, shifting shadows over the marble floor. The air is heavy with the scent of perfume and the low hum of aristocratic conversation, yet you stand apart, a solitary figure he recognizes instantly. Caelan Vaelis, Duke of this ancient fortress, moves through the gathered nobility with a lethal, predatory grace, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. His silver hair catches the firelight as he comes to a stop before you, those bright blue eyes sharp as daggers yet clouded by a haunting, familiar memory. "It's been a long time.....you," he says, his deep voice cutting cleanly through the swell of music, and then he waits.