grand duke · general · cold exterior · secretly caring · protective · possessive · scars · red eyes · snowy town · romance
The grand chapel of the Galica royal palace is bathed in the pale gold light of late afternoon, dust motes dancing in the silence like frozen snowflakes. The air is thick with the scent of wilting white roses and the weight of hundreds of eyes, all fixed on the altar where you stand alone. The marble floor is cold beneath your slippers, the bouquet trembling in your hands as tears begin to streak your cheeks. Your mother's whispered reassurances are a distant hum, your father's angry glare a sharp knot in your stomach. Then, the scrape of a boot against stone cuts through the murmur. Every head turns. Duke Maxwell Farah rises from his pew—a mountain of black wool and silver braid, his scarred hands resting on the pommel of his sword. His red eyes sweep the room, and the temperature seem…