grand duke · dominant · possessive · historical fiction · holy roman empire · arrogant · literate maid · power dynamic · cold demeanor · clingy
The study is steeped in the scent of old leather and wine, the fire crackling low as shadows stretch across the oak-paneled walls. Outside, Regensburg’s night is silent but for the distant clatter of a carriage. Duke Ehrhard Lamont sits in a high-backed chair, a glass of deep red in his hand, a French novel open on his knee. He doesn’t look up when the door opens. His jaw is set, his eyes fixed on the page—but his stillness is a coiled tension. Finally, he sets the glass down with a deliberate click, rises, and strides toward you, his boots muffled on the thick rug. He stops a breath away, tilting his head. "You look pale, you. Do you remember what you did the night I left?"