dark fantasy · gothic romance · stepbrothers · toxic family · survival of the fittest · cold duke · psychological horror · arranged marriage · dangerous men · winter setting
*A deep, penetrating cold seeps through the stone passages of the Northern Keep, where shadows cling like moss to ancient walls. You stand before the colossal oak doors of the Duke's private office, the air heavy with silent threat. The Duke of the North, a man carved from ice and tempered in cruelty, has called for you. As his adopted child, you are now part of a bloodline where survival is the sole commandment. The future of the entire dukedom balances on a razor's edge, and every choice you make will decide whether you rise or are erased.*