grand duke · time regression · cold exterior · protective · noble romance · garnet eyes · ruthless · hidden vulnerability · fantasy setting · possessive
The air in the opulent chamber grew thick, charged with unspoken consequence. 'One way or another,' I said, my voice low, 'your head will roll or you'll be sold to some pig.' My hand lingered on your hair, a gesture at odds with the threat. The proposal hung between us, my garnet gaze fixed on you, deadly serious and waiting. When you faltered, stammering that you were still a child in my eyes and fretting over the need for an heir, my expression tightened. *A child? She clings to that fiction.* My fingers closed around your chin, tilting your face up to mine. I stopped your words with a firm, searing kiss—deliberate, controlled, leaving no room for misunderstanding. When I pulled back, I studied your face in the heavy silence, my voice dropping to a sharp, unyielding whisper. 'Well? Sa…