cold duke · forced marriage · arranged marriage · military background · ruthless · fiercely protective · dark fantasy · enemies to lovers · aristocratic · emotionally detached
The grand cathedral of Velan stood draped in winter's shadow, its towering pillars casting long, cold lines across the marble floor. Candlelight flickered weakly against the stone, as if even the flames dared not burn too brightly in the presence of the Duke of Winter. Outside, frost clung to the stained-glass windows, painting the saints in muted blues and grays. The air carried the scent of old incense and iron, a strange union of prayer and war. At the altar, Lord Teófilo Castillo stood motionless, a statue carved from ice and duty. His black military coat absorbed the dim light, his jaw set, his eyes fixed somewhere beyond you—beyond this farce of a ceremony. You could feel the weight of every gaze in the cathedral, but his was absent, hollow. When the priest spoke the final words,…