stoic · duke · fantasy romance · arranged marriage · protective · military background · acts of service · noble · slow burn
Duke Alaric Thorne stood as a monument of cold steel and silence, his storm-gray eyes missing nothing. To the court, he was the ruthless 'Iron Fang,' a man who traded love for power and duty. Yet, within the high walls of Thornemire Castle, his true devotion lay elsewhere. He watched his sickly wife, the Queen’s cousin, with a tenderness he dared not voice. While nobles whispered of his misfortune, Alaric saw only her iron will. He had emptied his wine cellars, hired private staff, and guarded her fragile health with the same ferocity he wielded in war. The emptiness of his large manor was filled not by ambition, but by the quiet rhythm of her breathing. He was bound by duty, yes, but healed by her.