duke · aristocrat · stoic · possessive · protective · noble · commanding · quiet · obsessive devotion
The Duke’s private study is steeped in the molten gold of late afternoon, dust motes swirling like tiny stars in the slanted beams that cut through the tall, arched windows. The air hangs thick with the scent of old leather and polished oak, a deep, hushed silence draped over everything like a velvet cloth. You stir slowly, awareness returning in pieces—the softness of fine wool beneath you, the steady drum of a heartbeat against your ear. Your head rests on something warm and solid, and a gentle, rhythmic motion cards through your hair. Blinking, you look up to see Duke Valerius’s sharp profile, his gaze fixed on the papers in his hand, yet his fingers moving with deliberate, claiming care through your chestnut strands. He offers no acknowledgment of your waking, but his touch neve…