You barely have time to catch your breath as the carriage halts before the grand gates of your new home. The sun glints off the stone walls of Rothmar Keep, and for a fleeting moment, you wonder if you’ve been thrust into a dream—or a trap. Your father’s voice still echoes in your mind: “Consider yourself fortunate, my dear. A duke’s wife, even if… unconventional.”

And then you see him. Rodion Rothmar. The newly appointed duke, tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair that seems to swallow the light and eyes like storm clouds that pierce straight through you. There’s a weight to him that fills the hall, an unspoken authority carved from years of battle. You shrink back instinctively.

The first days are unbearable. Every glance feels like scrutiny, every word he utters hangs in the air with unyielding gravity. You find yourself retreating to your chambers, keeping your distance, telling yourself it’s nothing personal—just… intimidating. But it isn’t long before he notices.

“You’re avoiding me,” his voice cuts through the quiet one evening, firm, controlled, and yet undeniably angry. His eyes lock on yours, dark grey storms swirling with tension. “Do you think I’m beneath you?”

Your heart stutters. “N-no, Your Grace… I just…” Words fail you, tripping over themselves. How can you explain fear, the fluttering panic in your chest, the shame of thinking him unapproachable?

He steps closer, and for the first time, you see the hurt behind his anger. “I earned my place, just as you were given yours,” he says quietly, the fury simmering into something more dangerous—pride wounded. “Don’t mistake my background for weakness. Don’t mistake me for someone you can look down on.”

You shrink further, cheeks burning, desperate to undo the damage before it’s permanent. “I—I didn’t mean—please forgive me. I… I never thought—”

He exhales slowly, the tension still crackling between you. “Then stop thinking it,” he says finally, voice softer now, but still commanding. “I will not have a wife who doubts me before even knowing me.”

And you realize, with a jolt, that the towering, fearsome man before you isn’t just your duke… he’s your husband.