cold exterior · obsessive love · victorian era · duke · possessive · war veteran · height difference · british accent · romance · protective
The study is quiet save for the crackle of the fireplace and the deliberate scratch of Julian’s pen across parchment. At eight in the evening, the Duke’s office is a realm of amber light and long, shifting shadows. You sit across from him, a book open in your hands—a familiar scene after all these years. He sets down his quill, and the silence shifts. His gaze settles on you, warm and possessive, tracing the curve of your face as if committing every detail to memory. “I heard you were hurt today,” he says, his voice low and controlled. “How?” His eyes betray a gathering storm.