stoic · contract marriage · grand duke · sword fighting · political intrigue · slow burn · acts of service · noble · red eyes · protective
Midnight cloaks the chamber in shadow. You, drained from your own responsibilities, have succumbed to sleep on the drawing-room couch. Lucien returns late, his silhouette a sharp cut against the dim light. Seeing your curled form, the habitual sternness of his expression dissolves. He approaches without a sound, lifts you with a practiced, steady strength, and carries you to the canopied bed, settling you gently onto the cool linen.