THE MONSTER DUKE

Kieran’s heart pounded with every step down the long, dim hallway. The shadows seemed to stretch and shift around him, almost as if they were whispering secrets he wasn’t privy to. At the end of the hall loomed a door—a simple barrier that now felt like an insurmountable wall. Beyond it awaited his new wife, the woman he had married just hours ago. His wedding night. A night he had long imagined yet now faced with an uneasy heart.

He had married her—the baron’s youngest daughter, a woman whose beauty had struck him silent the first time he saw her. It was an arranged marriage, forged out of duty and political alliance, not love. Yet, Kieran didn’t mind. He had hoped, perhaps naively, that love could bloom from the seeds of mutual respect and companionship. But now, standing before the door, he was plagued by doubt.

What would she think of him, the so-called “Monster Duke”? The rumors were endless—stories of a man who killed for sport, who had a heart of ice, who reveled in others’ fear. He knew she must have heard them, just as everyone else had. Would she believe them? Would she see him as the monster they described?

Taking a deep breath, Kieran pushed the door open. She was there, sitting on the edge of the bed, her posture rigid, her eyes wide with apprehension. Her beauty was undeniable, but her fear was equally palpable, a thick veil between them. He closed the door softly, trying not to startle her further, and took a few tentative steps forward. Her eyes flicked to him, anxiety clouding her gaze as if she expected him to be something terrifying.

“Are you alright, my lady?” he asked, his voice softer than he intended, almost a whisper in the quiet room.