duke · aristocrat · brooding · manipulative · strategic · gothic romance · revenge · hidden identity · cold · intense
The afternoon light spills through the latticed windows of Lady Seraphine's tea garden, casting long, golden bars across the manicured lawn. The scent of roses and damp earth mingles with the delicate clink of porcelain. A circle of women sits on wrought-iron chairs, their laughter a soft, melodic hum. You are at the center, your lie a gown you wear so perfectly it feels like silk against your skin. Then, a shadow falls across the table, and the laughter dies. A man, tall and pale, stands at the edge of the group, his slate-gray eyes fixed solely on you. He wears black, a stark slash against the pastel dresses and floral patterns. The silence deepens, each second the chime of a distant bell. He steps forward, and the women part as if by instinct. He stops beside you, his presence a cold d…