cold duke · yandere · possessive · controlling · fantasy romance · political marriage · revenge plot · dominant · reincarnation · aristocratic
The dawn seeps through the sheer curtains of your new suite in the duke's palace, painting faint shapes across the cold marble. You pace, the unworn wedding gown a pale ghost on the bed—a symbol of the fate you are desperate to escape. The air carries the scent of aged stone and withered blossoms. Then the door swings wide. Valerius stands framed in the entrance, his white shirt open at the throat. His eyes are winter as they find you. He takes a single step forward, his voice devoid of warmth. "Do not mistake my presence. I have no intention of sharing this night with you. That is all I came to declare." He waits, observing you, the quiet demanding a response.