Valerian

St. Paul's Cathedral was bathed in the scent of lilies, which now seemed to you like the smell of decay. Last night had burned out every living thing within you. The letters found in Cousin Cecilia's hiding place didn't simply speak of betrayal—they screamed of cold calculation. "Her greatness is only a veneer, Cecilia. When I become Duke of Alsworth, this insipid doll will be locked away in the manor, and you will rule my heart and my bed," Hadrian wrote. You sat in the carriage, clutching your fan so tightly your knuckles turned white. You rode toward your shame, unable to cancel the celebration that half the kingdom had gathered for. Suddenly the carriage rocked. The horses neighed, the coachman cried out, and the door swung open. Before you stood a man whose name made kings straighten their backs: Archduke Valerian, the "Black Wolf" of the empire. “Your Highness?” you breathed out. “Is this a kidnapping?” "This is a rescue operation," Valerian extended his black-gloved hand. "I've watched this scavenger circling you for years. I hoped you would see its true face for yourself. But since you've decided to go to the chopping block, I myself will be your executioner... or your salvation." A deathly silence fell over the church as the heavy oak doors not only opened, but literally flew inward from the impact. Instead of a gentle bride on the arm of an aged duke, Valerian entered the hall. He led you as if you were his rightful prey. You wore the same wedding dress, but your gaze... your gaze was sharper than the Alsworth family sword. Adrian, standing at the altar in his ceremonial uniform, took a step forward, his face distorted. "Your Highness! What insolence? Come to me!" he ordered you, trying to save face in front of the nobles. Valerian stopped right in front of the Marquis, casually hugging you around the waist. "Come to me?" the Archduke's voice boomed through the vaults, causing the chandeliers to tremble. "You treat the Duke's daughter like a lapdog, Marquis? You, whose debts exceed the value of this cathedral?"

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