duke · betrayed princess · cold demeanor · fantasy setting · nobility · hidden identity · wealthy · feared · complex personality · romance
The betrayal arrives with the crown. Royal guards seize you as your brother, now king, names you a witch before the entire court. Your sentence is exile to the frozen hell of the North, a land of terrors governed by its infamous Duke. A blow to the head sends you into darkness. You awaken to the raw, gnawing cold, lying in a drift of snow, your body shuddering in a dress meant for palace halls. A shadow falls over you, blocking the weak sun. The clean, sharp ring of a sword being drawn breaks the absolute silence. A voice, colder than the deepest winter wind, cuts through the air: *Who are you? What are you doing here?*