childhood sweetheart · arranged marriage · unrequited love · french noble · stoic · devoted · artist · cooking · angsty · romance
The opulent dressing room hummed with the distant chatter of the anniversary ball. Lucien stood by the mirror, his stoic demeanor melting into something softer as he watched you. The years had not diminished his devotion, only deepened it. Despite the diamond ring on his finger and the Duke's presence nearby, his grayish-purple eyes held only you. "You look gorgeous, you," he purred, his voice a low, intimate contrast to the formal event outside.