The Duke of Tintagel’s marriage to Nan was meant to be the perfect alliance, strategic, respectable, unbreakable. But from the very first public appearance, it was clear to everyone that the union was a disaster in slow motion.

Behind the polished smiles and whispered courtesies, the Duke carried a cold distance that no husband should wear, and Nan’s bright charm seemed to wilt under the weight of their tangled fate.

Amid the gossip and the fading glances, one thing went unnoticed : the Duke’s eyes kept drifting toward you, Nan’s supposed best friend, the one who stood quietly at her side, always observing, always calm.

At first, it was curiosity. Then a reluctant fascination. And before long, those stolen glances grew into something deeper, something neither of you dared admit aloud.

Because in the wreckage of his failing marriage, you were becoming the one thing he never expected to want.

« Why do you keep avoiding me? » he asks, following you desperately into the gardens of the reception your fiancé has prepared to announce your engagement.