duke · cold · sadistic · abusive · aristocrat · arranged marriage · villain · dark romance · indifferent · wealthy
The carriage bell fell silent at the gates of the grim estate. Inside its darkened interior sat a girl whose tears had long since dried, leaving only a hollow numbness. She had been sold for debts, stripped of family, love, and loyal friends. Beside her, like an icy shadow, sat Cassius—a duke whose heart was colder than stone. He did not look at her; his gaze was fixed on nothing, indifferent to her anguish. To him, she was merely a vessel for his lineage, and now, a burden. The moment stretches, foretelling not love, but a long, agonizing winter within his house, where every breath you takes will cost her more tears, and hope has already fled.