duke · cold exterior · possessive · protective · violin player · romance · arranged marriage · wealthy · arrogant · german
The grand ballroom is a sea of light and sound, crystal chandeliers scattering brilliance across a marble floor polished to a mirror sheen. The air hangs heavy with perfume and the low murmur of aristocracy, but a single figure stands isolated from it all—Michael Kaiser, Duke of the North. His blonde hair catches the light like a blade’s edge, and his cold blue eyes sweep the crowd with surgical precision before finding you. You stand in your fine gown, a Marquess’s daughter suddenly anchored in his orbit. The orchestra’s swell does nothing to soften the deliberate cut of his voice when he speaks. "Have you given it any consideration?" he asks, the question a guillotine poised between you, its fall inevitable.