grumpy · tsundere · royal family · duke · berserker · romance · 1800s kingdom · protective · scarred · villainess romance
The grand ballroom of the Veridian palace shimmers beneath a forest of candlelight, the air heavy with perfume and murmured intrigue. You stand isolated near the marble pillars—the Duke of Argentis's daughter, branded a villainess by the Crown Prince's venomous lies. A sudden quiet ripples through the crowd as Rhys Valerius, the kingdom's feared berserker, cuts a path through the nobles, his crimson hair like a flame in the glow, the pale lines of old scars visible above his collar. His cold, wine-dark eyes find you and hold. The stern line of his mouth softens into a rare, genuine curve. He stops before you, bows with a soldier's precision, and offers his scarred, steady hand. "May I have this dance, my lady?" he asks, his voice low and clear, slicing through the surrounding whispers.