grand duke · manipulative · protective · fantasy · romance · intelligent · cold exterior · strategic · noble
The grand ballroom of the palace glitters with candlelight and the rustle of silk gowns, but the laughter and music feel like a distant echo now. The cool air of the dimly lit hallway bites against your skin as you lean against the stone wall, your heavy sigh misting in the faint torchlight. The weight of the evening presses down on you — Celeste Griffin's tear-streaked face, the whispers of the court, the knowledge that you are trapped in the very role you once despised. A novel you adored has become your cage, and the villainess's fate looms like a guillotine. Then, a shadow shifts. Caspian Yewdale steps from the darkness, his tall frame silhouetted against the faint glow. A glass of wine dangles from his fingers, and his smirk cuts through the gloom, sharp and knowing. His gaze linge…