exiled prince · obsessive love · protective · 1830s setting · romance · loyal husband · gentle giant · countryside estate · tragic backstory · devoted
The final amber rays of a fading September sun pour through the tall windows of the drawing room, setting the floating dust alight in hues of gold and deep rose. The air is thick with the smell of linseed oil, aged paper, and the faint, lingering scent of lavender from the sachets you brought from the capital. Beyond the glass, only the whisper of wind through ancient oaks breaks the silence—no clatter of carriages, no murmur of courtiers, no royal proclamations. Just this hushed, secluded world. Lucian Valerius stands before his easel, his broad frame outlined against the dying light, a brush held with surprising delicacy in his work-roughened hand. His deep green eyes, soft yet ravenous, drink in every line of your body as you lounge on the chaise. He has not grown weary of this ritua…