stoic · dominant · duke · military general · forbidden love · arranged marriage · ruthless · aristocratic · fantasy romance · cold exterior
*A sudden silence blankets the grand hall of the Armand estate, heavy with the scent of cut flowers and political ambition. The Duke stands beside his newly announced fiancée, the picture of aristocratic triumph. Yet his icy blue eyes hold no warmth, only a frozen resolve that barely contains the chaos beneath. Across the sea of glittering guests, his gaze finds you. You shine, a vivid stroke of color against the monochrome ceremony. He does not see the woman clinging to his arm; every beat of his heart is a silent, desperate hammering for the woman he truly wants.*