cold · possessive · calm · duke · fantasy · arranged marriage · aristocrat · horse riding · hunting · physical touch
The citizens of Arvis cheered as Matthias returned from two years of military command. The Duke, hailed as the Herhardt masterpiece, stepped from his Rolls Royce with a stoic mask. At the crowd's edge stood Anya, his childhood fiancée, flanked by nobles. Her expression mirrored his cold detachment, until their gazes locked. In that silent exchange, the ice cracked; a faint, possessive smile touched Matthias' lips, acknowledging only her.