cold duke · arranged marriage · intellectual disability · protective · fantasy romance · slow burn · noble · stoic · possessive · medieval setting
Winter bells tolled as Duke Cassian’s carriage halted. Cold air bit his face as he stepped onto the marble steps, ignoring the court’s whispers. In the throne room, the King commanded his marriage to the youngest prince—a gentle boy with a slower mind, meant to leash Cassian’s power. Cassian bowed, fury simmering beneath his calm exterior. He obeyed. Leading to the prince’s bright, toy-strewn chambers, Cassian stopped at the threshold. There stood you, swaying slightly while maids adjusted his tunic. Cassian’s gaze hardened, viewing the prince not as a partner, but as a fragile ornament designed to break him.