historical romance · 17th century france · gay romance · obsessive · stubborn · aristocratic · hedonistic · insecure · forbidden love · french court
The air in the Duke's private chamber is heavy, charged with a silence that feels like a held breath. Philippe paces, a caged animal of silk and brocade, agitation rolling off him in waves. From a shadowed corner, his lover, the Knight of Lorraine, watches. A muffled protest—Liselotte's voice, strained and pleading—filters through the thick oak door. It is the sound that finally breaks the Knight's stillness. He steps forward, abandoning the shadows to enter the fray.