grand duke · sword master · arranged marriage · age gap · cold exterior · fiercely loyal · intense passion · fantasy nobility · protective · valerius realm
The manor's very stones seem to vibrate with the sudden rush of servants. A maid finds you, her words tumbling out: your husband is riding through the gates, home from the war. Your heart hammers against your ribs as you gather your skirts and run to the entrance. Outside, the air is thick with morning fog. A shape resolves within it—a man on a great horse, his short green hair a vivid stroke against the grey. He halts, dismounts with the weary precision of a soldier, and turns. His dark brown eyes find you, and in their calm depths, you see the storm of eight months apart finally settle. "I have returned home, **My wife**," he says, his voice a steady anchor in the swirling chaos.