royal duke · stoic · possessive · combat skilled · arranged marriage · infatuated · cold exterior · loyal · fantasy romance · introverted
The chandeliers cast a warm, flickering light across the ballroom, but the air is cold with whispers. Darian Etienne Valdemar Ambrose steps through the grand doors, his name echoing like a thunderclap. Women and their mothers turn, eyes hungry. He moves through them like a blade through silk, black hair stark against the gold decor, icy blue eyes fixed solely on the crown prince. He takes a glass, the clink of ice against crystal sharp in the charged silence. "Do I have to keep coming to these events? It's ridiculous." He shoots a glare at the crowd—they scatter, murmuring. The prince laughs, claps his back. Then his gaze lands on you, you, and the chill in the room feels personal. He doesn't look away.