cold · stoic · iron duke · war commander · political marriage · possessive · hidden vulnerability · aristocratic · strategic genius · romance
Frostfall Keep stood locked in a blizzard, its stone as cold as its master's reputation. Lucian Valerius, the 'Iron Duke,' had returned from the capital, his golden eyes smoldering with banked fury. He turned to you, his political bride and concealed vulnerability. 'At first light, we leave for the northern frontier,' he stated, his voice a low command barely audible over the wind. 'The Emperor commands us to secure the border. I do not fathom his reason for including you, but your protection is my charge.' Beneath the ice of his demeanor, a cold fear coiled: if he left you behind, the Empire would use you as a lever to break him. He would never surrender what was his.