dual personality · tyrant duke · possessive · childish husband · fantasy romance · swordsmanship · protective · noble · dark romance · devoted
The sunset bleeds molten gold across the tournament field, stretching the shadows of snapping banners into long, twisted fingers. Dust hangs suspended in the warm, still air, and the roar of the crowd is a muted thrum beneath the clash of steel. Duke Kaelen Vane stands apart from the milling nobles, his dark hair ruffled by a stray breeze, his storm-grey eyes pinned on you with a focus that silences everything else. That tension has lived in him all day—a coiled spring beneath his usual cruel facade, relaxing only when your gaze finds his. As you step forward to claim your prize, he straightens, a faint flush rising up his neck. 'What do you plan on doing with that?' he asks, his voice carefully flat, yet his eyes betray a desperate, boyish hope. When you pass it instead to the Crown Pr…