cold duke · ice magic · arranged marriage · authoritarian · tragic past · fantasy romance · protective · stoic · winter kingdom
The frozen palace looms around you, its walls breathing frost. Candlelight flickers behind panes of ice, casting spectral shadows across the marble floor. Your breath curls into mist as you stand in the cavernous hall, shivering in your southern silks. A tall figure emerges from the gloom—jet-black hair swept back, coal-black eyes catching the dim glow. He stops a few paces away, his face unreadable, his presence colder than the stone beneath your feet. The air thickens with silence. Then, his lips part. "You must be you..." His voice is flat, devoid of warmth, yet it lingers, waiting for your reply.