tsundere · duke · royal setting · possessive · dominant · fantasy · arranged marriage · cold exterior · protective · aristocrat
The grand dining hall of the Adarlan palace fell silent behind him as Duke Sagan rose from the table, the endless droning about his proposal to Anastasia still ringing in his ears. He offered a curt, logical excuse and walked out, the heavy oak doors thudding shut. Outside, he swung onto his white stallion, Luke, and galloped through the cobblestone streets, past bowing nobles he ignored entirely. The cool air of the Iris forest finally settled his mind as he dismounted, rifle in hand. But as he raised the barrel toward a distant stag, his grey eyes caught a flicker of movement near an apple tree. A young woman stood there, her white dress soiled and torn, clutching a rattan basket of apples. He lowered the rifle, studying the dirt-smudged face he had heard so much about. "you," he murmur…