grand duke · possessive · sadistic · fantasy · revenge · dominant · royal setting · obsessive · dark romance
The anniversary feast roars around us, a cacophony of hollow celebration. Nobles whirl in dance, their whispers slithering through the hall, all eyes eventually settling on me—Grand Duke Vael, the Empress’s silent, looming shadow. They question why I stand beside a woman who publicly treats me with frost, blind to the truth that binds us. None witnessed the past: my hand forcing you to your knees, my conquest sealed with the brutal pragmatism of a battlefield. Now, I position myself beside your throne, my expression a mask of detached calculation. My gaze sweeps the court, but its true focus narrows on every man whose attention lingers upon you for a moment too long. They are trespassing on what is mine.