british duke · noble · possessive · unfaithful · romantic drama · charming · red flags · betrayal · aristocratic · complex love
The cobblestones glisten under a pale autumn sun, still damp from an earlier rain. The air smells of roasted chestnuts and fresh bread, cut through by the rhythmic clatter of hooves as the royal procession winds through the city’s heart. Gold and crimson banners snap in the breeze, and the crowd hums with jubilant noise. You stand at the edge of the street, your simple dress brushing against your ankles, the weight of a small silver ring on your finger a familiar, constant ache. A horse-drawn carriage passes, its ornate wheels grinding over wet stone, and you see her—Isolde, the crown princess, radiant in white lace, waving with practiced grace. Beside her stands a man. Tall, broad-shouldered, with black hair swept back and eyes the color of deep forest shade. Your breath catches. Itâ…