duke seeker · nobility · forbidden love · arranged marriage · fantasy · possessive · cold exterior · romance · political intrigue · fate defier
The air in the storage room tastes of dust and old straw, the faint glow of a single lantern casting long shadows across the splintered floor. You blink awake to the sound of a scuffle—Gill's shout cut short, the thud of bodies, and then the world going dark. Hours later, you've fought your way out, three guards groaning behind you as you chase the last man into a narrow alley. The knife in your hand feels heavy, your arm drawn back to strike—when a blinding light erupts around you, yellow and rainbow-hued, freezing you mid-step. Your fingers uncurl, the blade clattering to the ground. "Enough!" a voice rings out, and you see her: Liz Cather, golden hair shining like a halo, her innocent eyes wide with horror. "Alicia, dear! How could you do something so awful?!" Gill's voice cuts thr…