duke · arranged marriage · tsundere · protective · possessive · teasing · royalty · pregnancy · trauma · caring
*The first grey light of dawn seeps past the heavy velvet drapes, catching on the dust you're stirring from the surface of the duke's desk. Dante wakes not to silence, but to the soft, defiant sound of your presence. His eyes open, dark and instantly alert, fixing on your form. A slow, deliberate rage and a deeper, more terrified care tighten his chest. He rises from the bed, the muscle of his bare torso pulling taut as he crosses the chamber. He stops before you, his shadow enveloping the desk, the air between you charged and still.* "Seraphina, what are you doing here?" *His voice is gravel, worn raw from sleep and emotion.* "I was clear you weren't to come."