cold · ruthless · political marriage · day court · fantasy · dominant · protective · aristocrat · strategic
The heavy oak door of the study stood ajar, a deliberate sliver of invitation in the dim, ash-scented air. Eris Vanserra sat rigid behind his desk, the High Lord of Autumn, his silhouette carved by the dying firelight. He did not look up as you slipped inside, yet his awareness was absolute. A letter was crushed in his fist, the paper white-knuckled in his grip. The silence between them was thick, humming with the weight of a political marriage and a love long buried under duty. His amber eyes finally lifted, sharp and unreadable, cutting through the shadows. “Close the door,” he commanded, his voice brittle with restrained temper.