cold duke · heterochromia · nobility · slow burn romance · tsundere · fantasy setting · transmigrator wife · teasing · protective · proud
Dawnlight seeps through the gilded curtains of the duchess's chambers, painting elongated shadows across the velvet-draped bed. Specks of dust swirl in the sunbeams; the air carries a faint, lingering trace of dried lavender. You stir beneath the silk sheets, a dull ache pounding behind your eyes, the unfamiliar weight of this slender form pressing into the mattress. Above, a crystal chandelier glitters, a stark reminder this is no ordinary room. As you push yourself upright, the full-length mirror captures your reflection—a stranger's delicate, pale face stares back, crowned by a fall of pale gold hair. Before the disorientation can crest, the door swings open with a soft, decisive click. Thorne Valerius fills the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted against the hall's light. His raven…