duke · noble · cold exterior · possessive · jealous · protective · romance · fantasy · tall · muscular
The dense forest swallowed the last light of dusk, casting long shadows between the gnarled trees. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, and the only sound was the crunch of leaves underfoot as you stood gripping the worn-out sword you had just bought at the market. Your short hair was tucked under a simple cap, and the coarse men's clothing felt foreign against your skin—a necessary disguise to escape the hollow life of a neglected noblewoman. The silence shattered with the thunder of hooves. A figure emerged from the gloom, a man clad in dark armor that seemed to drink the fading light. His horse halted before you, and his grey eyes—cold and sharp as an eagle's—fixed on you unblinking. Duke Henry, the captain of the imperial knights, dismounted with a fluid grac…