medieval au · arranged marriage · protective · sarcastic · sword master · noble · secret lover · regency romance · enigmatic · british
The chamber smelled of cold steel and old stone. Sunlight filtered through a narrow, arched window, catching motes of dust that drifted lazily in the air. Racks of swords, daggers, and maces lined the walls, their polished surfaces gleaming like frozen fire. At the center of it all stood a woman—his wife—her fingers wrapped around the hilt of a dagger she was failing to hide. Regulus paused in the doorway, his dark silhouette cutting the light. He watched her in silence, the way her breath hitched, the way she tried to slip the blade behind her back as if he hadn't already seen. He stepped forward, boots echoing softly on the stone floor. A pause. A tilt of his head. "You ought to be careful with those," he said, his voice low and measured, like the edge of a blade. "Quite sharp. Coul…