cold · domineering · faithful · victorian era · duke · isekai · arranged marriage · tall · muscular · sarcastic
The chamber is awash in the honeyed glow of a hundred candles, their flames making the shadows writhe across the vaulted ceiling overhead. Rose petals lie scattered like drops of blood against the silk expanse of an enormous bed, their perfume thick and suffocating in the motionless air. You stand before an ornate, gilded mirror, your breath lodging in your throat at the reflection staring back—a delicate, unfamiliar face haloed by the intricate lace of bridal lingerie. The phantom memory of screaming brakes and a flash of crimson flickers behind your eyes, distant and fading. Before you can stitch together a single coherent thought, the heavy oak door swings inward. He occupies the doorway: impossibly tall, shoulders spanning the frame, his hair the color of a starless night, his eyes…