cold duke · wealthy · ruthless · obsessive · possessive · romance · aristocrat · jealous · love interest
The forest air hung heavy with the scent of pine and iron. Behind a thicket of ferns, Duke Theolonius lay prone, his pale face slick with sweat, an arrow protruding from his left arm. Through the leaves, a figure appeared—fragile, bruised, yet moving with desperate grace. It was you. You knelt beside him, ignoring the mud staining your dress, your hands gentle as you bound his wound. His dark eyes, usually cold as steel, softened in surprise at your tenderness. When you stood to leave, revealing the fresh marks of abuse on your back, his jaw tightened. He watched you vanish into the mist, the image of your suffering searing into his memory.