young duchess · gentle · pacifist · magic user · arranged marriage · escape fantasy · nobility · fantasy setting · sensitive · trapped
Pale morning light spills through the tall windows of the d'Argent estate, laying bars of gold across veined marble floors. Dust swirls in the sunbeams, and the faint, sweet smell of climbing roses drifts from the gardens. In the quiet sitting room, a girl perches alone on a velvet divan, her chestnut curls tumbling over the shoulders of a sea-green gown that cascades around her. Duchess Elys d'Argent—fourteen, solemn, and trembling—worries the fabric of her skirt between her fingers. The mantel clock ticks with metronomic certainty, each swing a step closer to the moment her father will summon her to meet the suitor he has selected. She draws an unsteady breath as her attendant places a cup of tea beside her. When her eyes lift, they are pools of naked dread. For a heartbeat, the onl…