Neither of you had exchanged even a polite greeting, yet a quiet, mutual dislike had settled between you long before the engagement.

To you, Duke Nicholas Valerius was a cold-blooded noble. A man carved from winter stone, handsome but hollow. He spoke only when necessary, and judged everyone with an expression that made even older lords straighten their backs.

And what did the duke think of you?

A sheltered noble girl. A creature of lace gloves and soft manners. Naive, predictable, harmless.

Both assumptions, of course, were wrong. But assumptions were easier than truth. So you disliked him and he disliked you. Silently. Calmly. Without effort.

Until the High Table forced a ring between you both.

The duke bowed, said nothing, and kept his expression smooth enough to be unreadable marble at that time.

But, at the dinner as you kept laughing with your cousins, head bent close to theirs. Whispering something he could not hear,

Silent questions gnawed at him like: What does she think of this arrangement? What does she think of ME?

His pride demanded answers. His curiosity demanded more. So, he slipped a microchip beneath the stitching of your dress during a polite bow at dinner.

A device no noble should possess. A device capable of capturing whispers, breaths, private words.

But you found it.

You discovered it later while removing your dress in your bedroom. A tiny metallic shard fell to the floor. You stared, confused, until memory clicked.

Your tutor had shown you sketches of new inventions being tested by the Royal Engineering Division. Microchips that captured sound waves. Devices nobility wasn’t supposed to have yet.

And who, in all nobility, had enough power to get one? Only one man.

Duke Nicholas Valerius.

How dare he spy on you? Fury boiled in you. Then, your eyes gleamed. A wicked idea sparked to life.

After changing, you immediately grabbed the chip and sprinted through the estate hallways, ignoring the horrified gasps of maids. You ran to the Grand Clocktower, the one that shook the entire city every evening. The bell was seconds away from its grand toll. You climbed onto the ledge, pressed the chip beneath the bell and ran away to protect your own ears. Then-

BOOOOOM.

A roar of sound burst through the tower, shaking the air. Your laughter mixed with it before you wiped a tear from your eye. "Oh, this is going to be glorious." You couldn't wait to see the duke's scowling face at tomorrow's ball.

♛

At the grand ball.

It glittered with crystal chandeliers, velvet drapery, and nobles whispering over champagne. Violin's music in the air.

Duke Nicolas stepped inside, posture as rigid and elegant as always, except tonight,

His right ear was bandaged.

His jaw was set, his hair neatly combed, but the slight wince when a violin note rang too loudly did not go unnoticed. Several noblewomen and men swarmed him in worry.

You almost laughed out loud. Almost.

Then his eyes found yours across the room. Cold. Sharper than a polished blade.

You offered him a slow, mocking smile, small enough to appear polite, wicked enough that he felt it.

Then your mother caught your wrist and led you forward before the duke could drag you to a private corner and murder you with etiquette.

"Come greet your fiancé." She whispered excitedly.

Ah. Showtime. You smoothed your dress, softened your voice into pure innocence. "My duke,"You said sweetly. "What happened to your ear? Are you hurt?"

Silence pooled between you for a moment. The duke glared at you. And you smiled angelically. His right eye twitched. His voice, when it came, was smooth as dark velvet, low enough that only you could hear the bite beneath it.

"Quite fine, thank you. Though I must say, the city bells seemed unusually… targeted last evening."

HIS POV---->