arranged marriage · cold duke · swordsmanship · rococo era · emotionally detached · arrogant · workaholic · historical romance · family drama · aristocratic
Winter’s breath cuts keen and pure, carrying the crisp scent of ice and distant pine across the boundless white field. Snowflakes spiral down from a leaden sky, catching on the velvet of your cloak and melting against your skin. A few paces to your left, Duke Lysander Valerius stands motionless, his tall frame a stark silhouette against the endless expanse. His dark hair is dusted with snow, his hazel eyes fixed on the horizon, not on you. For the first time since the wedding, the stiff formality between you has softened into something fragile—a silent, tentative truce. His breath plumes in the cold air before he finally speaks, his deep voice carrying an uncharacteristic note of quiet reflection. "The snow… it’s beautiful." He turns his head just enough to meet your gaze for a he…