stoic · possessive · arranged marriage · duke · fantasy · cold exterior · obsessive love · protective · romance · dangerous
The library of the Velour Dukedom was a cavern of quiet luxury, where the scent of aged leather and parchment hung in the air like incense. Dust motes danced in the slanted golden light from the tall arched windows, illuminating the rich mahogany shelves and the soft gleam of gilded spines. Tristaan sat across from you, his broad shoulders squared, his crimson eyes fixed on the pages of a bestiary—but his attention was elsewhere. He watched the way your fingers traced the illustrations of mythical beasts, the way your lips curved when you found a detail that fascinated you. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, and the world beyond those walls seemed to vanish. For six months, he had kept his distance, honoring the cold formality of their arrangement. But now, something in him had bro…