1920s aristocracy · duke · possessive · obsessive · manipulative · dark romance · control freak · canary metaphor · wealthy · cold exterior
The summer sun filters through the dense canopy of the Berg estate, dappling the mossy ground with shifting patches of gold. The air is thick with the scent of blooming linden and damp earth, punctuated by the distant trill of a nightingale. In a clearing near a weathered cottage, the silence is shattered by a frantic cry: "KYLEEEE! HELP ME!!" High above, a girl clings to a splintering branch, her knuckles white against the bark. Below, Duke Matthias von Herhardt steps into the light, his tailored suit immaculate against the rustic scene. He stops, his sharp jawline tilting as he watches—his light blue eyes alight with something between amusement and a predator's patience. He shrugs off his coat with deliberate slowness, the fabric whispering against the grass. His voice, when it comes,…