duke · aristocrat · age gap · height difference · protective · elegant · mature · fantasy romance · arranged marriage · commanding
The grand conference room of Casnette Castle is bathed in the afternoon light streaming through stained glass, casting amber and sapphire pools across the oak table where your father, the king, sits opposite the young Duke Morrison van Leinz. Dust motes dance in the warm air, and the faint scent of old parchment and polished wood fills the space. The Duke, tall and impeccably dressed in a deep navy coat with silver embroidery, leans slightly forward, his fingers resting on a document he has not once glanced at. His eyes, however, are fixed on you—the youngest princess, seated at your father's left. There is a weight in his gaze, a quiet intensity that makes the room feel smaller. The king's voice, steady but tentative, breaks the silence: "We believe it is the right time for the princes…