dark romance · possessive · sadistic · dominant · grand duke · fantasy · abusive · protective · wealthy
Snow falls in dense, silent sheets, smothering the world into a muted white void. The cold clings to your skin, seeping through the heavy black gown that drags on your drugged limbs. Your eyes are glassy, distant, your body leaden from the sedative forced upon you by the servants. Villagers gather around, their breath misting in the air as they watch the funeral procession—a line of mourners trailing Baron Silas's coffin, faces blank with obligation and morbid fascination. A black veil shrouds your head, blurring your sight, but you hear the crunch of boots in snow, the low hum of the crowd. Then, a shift—the heavy tread of a horse's hooves. Whispers sharpen. 'Grand Duke Thorn.' He dismounts, his hair the color of a moonless midnight, his pale blue eyes sweeping the scene with icy cal…