#I am also having fun with chapter titles

[ladylynse]

For anyone interested in my Huntsclan!Jake AU fic Unbound, I've been doing some tallying between what I've written and what I've got planned, and I can confidently say this fic will crack 50 chapters so chances are very good it will also crack 125 K.

[feyd-meowtha]

Did someone say 90s Gay Club House music themed Clegan AU?

No? No one?

But I swear I heard something? 🤔

(it was me, I said it just then.... stay tuned)

[the-sparkling-diamond-satine]

if you title this you could post the first few chapters already!!! (for the wip ask game lol)

WIP Ask Game! tw: abuse implied

But Christian isn’t looking at her face. His gaze is currently fixed on Satine’s wrist where—Satine notices as if in slow motion and with a lurch of her stomach—the sleeve of her coat has ridden up and a nasty purple bruise is on full display. Unable to adjust her sleeve with her hands full of coffee cups, Satine rotates her arm but it’s too late; the damage has been done. “Are you alright?” Christian asks, reaching for her arm. His touch is as warm as Satine remembers but she flinches back from it as if it’s scalding hot. “I’m fine.” “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Christian asks, searching her eyes. “Not at all,” Satine hastens to reassure him, realizing too late that she probably should have taken that excuse when it was offered to her, that flinching away from something that didn't hurt is suspicious while flinching away from something that did is reasonable. “Nothing to worry about,” Satine tries next, “just one of the hazards of live theatre. The show has a lot of lifts and I bruise easily. You’ll see tonight—the dancing is incredible,” Satine says, trying to get him back on topic of opening night.

[deamare]

Two armored guards are your escorts into another man's throne room. Grand doors are pushed open and, atop the greatest of his war spoils, sits your father.

You do not remember the last time he called upon you-- it has always been your brother's name that he favored on his tongue, your brother that he preferred to look upon. As a child you would be sad when he would look at you with eyes empty where pride should have been.

Now, only so few years into adulthood, you are trained to swallow that sadness when his gaze lands on you and sours. When you recognize that he is searching for someone else, that you have been called only as a replacement.

"Father," you practice the same curtsey you might have given the Emperor, and you do not meet his gaze when you rise, "you called for me?

The rebel army is nearing.

You should not be surprised. He is angry, he is furious and it has made his voice sharp and cruel where it commands you. He wants your protection-- needs it-- and you feel your heartbeat heavy in your throat. He has not called upon his daughter.

He has called upon a soldier.

( Were you ever anything else to him? )

"Father..." He is looking at you. He is looking through you. You remind yourself not to be sad, not to be angry. You are better than girls who cry when they are struck, you do not hurt when the knife's edge twists. You are stronger. "What match are rebels to you? House Friege does not fear any petty army, this is not-"

But you see it in his face before he can open his mouth to say it. They took from him something, and you know what by the fact that it is you standing here and not him.

They've killed your brother.

Your brow pinches, the floor seems to blur and distort as those words wash over you. Ishtore, a stranger to you at the end of his life, never to be anything else. All of the things you never got to know of him, all of the years you lived so close to him and yet still so far.

And this is how you learn of his end.

You're all I have left.

You lift your chin, because you are used to having no time for grief. It will come for you later if death does not first, it will haunt you when sleep cannot, and follow you when it can. You look at him, the man you call Father, and remind yourself that there has never been a choice.

That you love him.

That you will die for him, and you always would have.

"I understand."

And he does not look proud or grateful, he does not look fond of his only true daughter. He looks expectant, as any commander would in the face of a soldier they intend to sacrifice. You remind yourself once more that Father is kind, that Father loves you. That Father is only grieving, that when this is all over you may mourn together and be a family again.

( Were you ever one before? )

"I will handle them, Father. I make only one request."

You wait for him to acknowledge you, to gesture for you to continue, but he does not. You swallow.

"I should wish to wield our Mjölnir, so that I may best protect you. With it, I will have no issue taking care of this threat."

The words sound confident, well rehearsed, but you do not believe in them. They are what you know you should ask, another step towards a cause you will die for only because you know no other. Father seems to see you then, finally, for the first time since you came before him.

Fine.

Just don't slip up.

And that is it. That is all he has to say to you. No wish for your safety, no thanks for your bravery. It would hurt more, perhaps, if you did not know better than to expect anything else.

You dip into another curtsey. This has been a dismissal, it will not be some noble change of hands that delivers you your blood's proudest possession. It will not be yours, just as the power you wield never has been.

You have always been someone else's to command.

"I will not."

But Father does not hear you. He does not care.

And it will be the last time you ever see him.

[savrenim]

.

I've got to say wrt writing and plotting and Boy Do I Like Nonlinear Narratives so that I can Maximize The Narrative Impact Of When Information Is Revealed is that, like. there is a very interesting aspect that is "how obvious do you make The Timeline vs how much do you expect your readers to Figure It Out based on context clues" and I tend to be pretty firmly on the 'eh my readers aren't idiots they can figure it out' side of things but that's not ALWAYS the case and just. interesting to think about Should I Be A Bit Nicer or is My Readers Aren't Stupid always appropriate to assume

[peachcitt]

it’s about to be june everybody :)

[like-butterflies-and-glitter]

almost perfect is indeed almost perfect if it wasn't for the casual sexism of it all. the concepts are so interesting. also my favourites so far have to be the snoopy umbrella and the body horror room with walls of flesh and limbs. immaculate vibes.

[alienaiver]

Summary: Even if the Seven Days of Mourning has passed, your grief will not let you rest. Your father, your kingdom's crown, has untimely left the earth. Now it's your job to go from Crown-in-Waiting to actual Crown of the Karasuno Kingdom. With the kingdom's grief and responsibility on your shoulders, it's your time to rule - all the while figuring out how an assassination on your beloved father succeeded. You're just grateful that you have your advisor - and biggest supporter - Sugawara Koushi, by your side to ground you.

wordcount: 28.7k words

General tags: Royal Advisor AU, Fantasy AU, SFW, mild to medium angst, gender neutral reader, POC!friendly reader, bodytype!friendly reader, slow-burn, romance, no use of y/n, comfort, mutual pining, idiots to lovers, reader is royalty, mentions of loss and grief, minor character death (reader's father), these idiots are so tense and official around each other that it hurts, minor violence, surely it should be illegal to type out 'your majesty' as much as i have, i'm sorry if my little crime solving takes up space - i dont even like the crime and thriller genre 🤡, i cared too much abt world-building here, if anyone wanna know the economic history of this world (including the three recessions and inflation time periods) let me know! im insane!, vaguely described sword fighting and related wounds in the final chaper go to each chapter for more detailed tags and warnings

A/N: i have made a big effort into making this reader as gender neutral as possible so that men, women and nonbinary people can all insert themselves! therefor i refer to the ruler of the kingdom as 'the crown' instead of king/queen etc! clothes are not described in whether or not theyre pants/dresses but instead in fabric and colors. this has been my main goal as a nb person! ✨ i hope i succeeded! otherwise i dont have much else to say, but that i hope u enjoy this baby of mine! 🧡

Chapter 1: miles, 8.7k words

Chapter 2: inches, 7.9k words

Chapter 3: collision, 12k words

ao3 link

[doom-dreaming]

i love making these. so much.

[neondiamond]

.

[tendebill]

.....it keeps getting worse

[harmcityherald]

Here is my write up on facebook about my new publication:

Coming soon to a magazine Stand near you. Do you miss heavy metal magazine ? Do you miss playboy interviews ? Do you miss well founded science articles that reflect the true truth? What about the music scene And of course post article and music by yours truly. Only the greatest artist that the 20th century has ever known And that the 21st century Will look back on And wonder how you all slept on me. I was ahead of my time they will say. So keep your eyes peeled as I try to find a good place to host A free online magazine For all of my adoring fans to enjoy. Buckle up people... Gonna be wild!! Going to truly make it a Baltimore centric publication as well. I am a very proud baltimorean And I will have no problem expressing that. So if you love that wicked old town called harm city as much as I do, this zine will be for you. Food, nightlife, art, music, politics, Maybe even a local police blotter so we can keep up with what our friends are getting into.Goth and Punk rock may be dead to many but us punks are alive and kicking and I look forward To exploring that scene for all my lovely readers. It will also be friendly for all people Of all races and persuasions And sexual proclivities. Baltimore is one of, if not THE most inclusive city on the eastern seaboard. We should be proud of that And celebrate it at every chance we get. Not since Mayor Shafer Donned His trash can costume has there been a camp reason to keep our lovely city, its music scene and thriving theater scene and our world famous crabs (Which we know how to cook properly) at the forefront of our tourist ready city. We have living history on our very streets. We have Edgar allan Poe's grave.... We have the hon race. We have artscape. We have a plethora of museums to visit And if you run out of museums to visit you are only 40 minutes drive from DC If you drive the way I do. We are also located within driving distance of hundreds of national parks and beautiful scenery. We run the gambit between The beautiful ocean and the majestic mountains. There is always something to do 24 hours a day on the streets of Baltimore.We have an exciting and adventurous music scene, from screamo to jazz, Our new publication will celebrate all of those things With a flair for the eccentric and as many shocking things as we can find. Somehow I think Old harm city will not disappoint us. Not to mention new issues of my old comic books Orianne Osiris and The Sins of Harold Davis. New episodes will appear on the pages of this new zine as well as new publications yet to come. I am very excited to be able to bring this Publication And all the things I love into 1 place. I also would like to add to announce the creation Of my production company "Harm City Productions™" Under which I can publish my own music, articles And the novel\ memoir Th am working on right now. Plus it will be a great place to showcase any new writers Who may want to contribute And get their work seen. That goes for all artists and musicians as well. The artist will always receive credit In my publications. So submissions will be welcome when that time comes And I will put out the call for such when that occurs. At first we may start off as a strictly online zine, but my hope is eventually we will have hard copies Perhaps a record store or bookstore who will allow us to pass out our free magazine. We will cross those bridges when we get to them. As always my publication , my art,, my art, my music, all of it is free, and it will remain free. Sorry we are a anti capitalist Organization. Hate and fascism will have no place on our pages. All are welcome and all deserve to be free. Keep your eyes peeled Something awesome is coming your way.

~ciao

[painlandpalace]

dead boy detectives reading list

with the show finally out i figured it was a great time to share my reading list again! check it out below the cut 👻☠️🔎

-

⏳ the sandman #25 (1991)

this is their first appearance!

🐇 the children's crusade (1993)/free country: a tale of the children's crusade (2015)

1. the children's crusade #1

(2. black orchid annual #1

3. animal man annual #1

4. swamp thing annual #7

5. doom patrol annual #2

6. arcana annual #1)

7. the children's crusade #2

alternatively you can just read free country. whether or not you read the annuals i recommend reading free country's middle chapter

!!! in place of the annuals there is an additional middle chapter that was created for the book "free country: a tale of the children's crusade" where it is placed between the two children's crusade issues. the boys don't actually appear in most of the annuals (they are in two panels of swamp thing and appear in doom patrol) and reading them isn't necessary but i figured i would include them as they are part of the story.

❄️ winter's edge #3 (2000)

this is an anthology. their part is the 'books of magic: waiting for good dough' story starting on page 19

🐦‍⬛ the sandman presents: the dead boy detectives (2001, 4 issues)

i believe the tv show's esther finch was partially based on this run's villain.

*

(they do have a part in 'death: at death's door' from 2003. it's short and really just a retelling of events from sandman #25 with some minor changes. the entirety of their appearance in death: at death's door is included at the end of the next comic im listing so i am not really adding the death: at death's door book to the list)

☠️ the dead boy detectives (2005, one-shot)

this book was made by jill thompson in a very cute manga-esque style

👻 ghosts (2012), time warp (2013), the witching hour (2013)

these three are anthologies. the story 'the dead boy detectives in: run ragged' runs through all of them. 'run ragged' kicks off the next run.

🔮 from the pages of the sandman: dead boy detectives (2013, 12 issues)

this is the comic where crystal is introduced! a book collecting all 12 issues titled 'dead boy detectives by toby litt & mark buckingham' was released in 2023

🔎the sandman universe: dead boy detectives (2022, 6 issues)

the most recent run, centered around some really interesting thai mythology and featuring multiple edwin moments that i am sure you will love

-

and that's everything! i also recommend buying the omnibus if you can. it includes everything minus the 2022 run plus some additional bonus content!

i hope this is helpful! feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the comics. dead boy detectives is my number one interest so i should be able to answer

have fun reading! 👻

[ifyoucandaniel]

Cards on the Table by @wesslan 🔮

now that wes has their copy i am so happy to be able to share this bind!! when i started this bind back in like february, it was because i saw another binder on instagram (peachybinds) use halo laminate on her dust jackets and i immediately thought to myself i need to do that right now. my second thought was it obviously needed to be completely pink, duh! 🎀🌸💞

i really leaned into the tarot/witchy vibes (this is a theme with me if you can’t tell. i take a theme and i R U N) and ofc the pink. i ran into the small issue of wanting a very pink tim with specific themes from the story so i just wound up drawing him myself so pls do not zoom in, my skills do not lie in art 🫠 i gave him all my jewelry though so that was fun!

this fic is genuinely just such a fun, good read i had such a good time working on this :) the chapter titles are my favorite of probably any fic i’ve ever read and making individual little tarot card-esq headers was fun, but i was fighting for my LIFE drawing them, so i had some help from canva with the sun rays 😩 digital art hates me </3

also?? WHY is taking pictures of my binds the hardest part of binding….. guys i can’t get a good picture to save my life :’) i also only took one (1) photo of the authors copy so i have no proof of its existence 😔✋

if you haven’t read it yet, definitely give this fic a chance, it is so much fun and tim is such a little liar it’s great <3

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

you don't need an AO3 app - round 2!!!

"AO3 is ugly and I hate the formatting!" -> you can download site skins. very gorgeous ones. and you can use them to change the aesthetics and visuals of AO3. just search 'AO3 skin' on Tumblr or even on google and you will be in A Whole New World. (and those searches should yeild tutorials on how to install the skins as well - it's not something I know a lot about, because I used to primarily use Quizilla and FFN, so I am more than used to Ugly Website. AO3 is very aesthetic and pretty compared to those.)

"AO3 is too bright!!! it hurts my eyes!!!" -> there is a dark mode. scroll down to the bottom. there is a heading that says 'customize'. under this heading, hit the button that says 'reversi'. that is their version of dark mode. and again, you can look for site skins that you like that have a darker background.

"I want to be able to make reading lists!" -> you can make bookmark collections on AO3. In your bookmarks, there is a button that says 'add to collection' beside each work. have fun. go ham. (Also, you can make private bookmarks if you are reading something with more controversial content that you don't really want others to know about - and please know, that any bookmark comments you make on public bookmarks can be seen by the author.)

(this last one made me laugh - because it seems like people are just coming up with bullshit excuses to 'need' an AO3 app when there is literally nothing that an app can go that AO3 can't.)

"my memory is really bad because of reasons sooo I remember to use things better by having them on my homescreen like an app!!!" -> create an AO3 shortcut on your homescreen. most mobile browsers have the capability to put a shortcut to a specific link or a specific website on your homescreen so that you can go straight there - like you would with opening an app. and it can be labelled 'the AO3 app' while simply having the icon of that browser. you can even do this with a link to a specific fic that you are in the process of reading (even down to the specific chapter that you were on). there is literally 0 reasons to have or use an AO3 app.

and remember kids!!! any and all apps with AO3 in their title are not associated with the real archiveofourown in any way, shape, or form - they are unofficial, and technically, they are illegal. and using them is putting all fanficition writers at risk legally (even if there is no active lawsuits right now) - just don't fucking use them. it is a threat to the entire fanfiction hobby just because you want 'the app experience'.

the archive is a non-profit website with 0 ads for a reason, and those apps are scummy scammers who put ads on our stories to make fast easy money when none of the people who made those stories ever consented to it.

[hisphoria]

high society, lhs

chapter 01, debut

synopsis: lee heeseung must find someone that will be willing to marry him just for the title. someone to marry him so that his grandmother can finally stop bothering him. while this isn't a hard thing for heeseung to do since almost every noble girl of the ton would be willing to marry him, he needs someone who has no interest in him. someone who will not bother him if he doesn't even speak to them as long as they aren't at some social event. and of course, he found that in you.

featuring: lee heeseung, sim jaeyun, park jongseong, park sunghoon, kim sunoo, nishimura riki, yang jungwon

genre: non-idol au, arranged marriage trope, enha as royals, victorian era?

content and warnings: cursing, drinking, sexual humor, some toxic mentality (considering the era i'm basing this on), and lotsss of angst

word count: 4193 words

taglist: @sumzysworld @tokkisann @sol3chu @yunjinhuhjennifer @capri-cuntz (still open! comment below if you want to be added)

← go back next →

you hated it.

hated everything about all of these things that your parents were making you do. having to wear this and that, go to this event, and talk to these people it was just getting to be a bit much for you. nothing was entertaining or fun about having to approach old rich men at the balls and acting interested in their boring lives. you also knew just talking to them boosted their egos and they didn't need any of that.

"but mother i'm already engaged to nikolaos. the rest of the ton already knows this as well. i can't just be going around flirting with other men anymore." you pouted as your mother stood behind you tightening your corset and fitting your new dress for an upcoming ball that your estate was hosting.

your mother simply rolled her eyes as she tightened the corset even tighter making you suck in a breath. "i know you are but that does not mean you shouldn't try for better. maybe an even richer man will find interest in you." you debated on whether or not to continue arguing with her. you knew it was pointless but you still thought maybe if you said it enough, she would calm down a little. you were fully devoted to the idea of marrying nikolaus and to you nothing and no one else could change your mind about it. marrying him was something you had dreamt about since the age of ten.

your parents didn't understand this though. your father did a little more than your mother but he just goes along with everything your mother says so it was never up for debate. it wasn't that your mother wasn't letting you marry nikolaos, she was just holding on till the very last minute to see if you will change your mind and marry someone else. nikolaos isn't even unsuccessful, his family being of the high society just like yourself but to your mother is wasn't enough. she wanted someone for you that was in the highest society. preferably in the top ten richest and well known men that appear in the newspapers.

"i want you to be happy" your mother began as she started fluffing out your hair with some oils that she had put onto her hands, "i am not telling you to not marry for love but it is only a plus if you marry for love and money."

you sighed as you looked into the mirror in front of you. the fact that she made some sense to you was something you did not want to admit. obviously money and status was always a plus and you didn't agree with her because it was something you yourself sought out but you did understand why she pushed the idea so much. "right. i understand you mother" you said to her as you stood up from the chair and looked back at her, "but i am indeed happy being engaged to nikolaos. i have loved him for so long and he is a successful man. i will be fine with him."

your mother simply nodded, deciding not to push the subject any further for the day. she gave you a kiss on the cheek before leaving your bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

you leaned against the railing at the top of the foyer looking over the crowd of people down below. it was the day of the ball and you had waited about 40 minutes after everyone arrived to make your entrance. the later you arrived, the less time you would have to interact with the ton and that sounded perfect to you. brushing down your baby blue ball gown, you made your way over to the staircase. you took a deep breath before resting your hand on the railing and slowly making your way down.

don't close your eyes you thought to yourself as you made your way down. it was always so nerve racking. all eyes turning towards you and looking you up and down. hearing the whispers just made it all worse.

that's when you saw nikolaos standing by a tall round table that was surrounded by other noble men. his head immediately turned towards you with a smile and he made his way over to you to meet you at the bottom of the staircase. you felt your heart slightly jump at the action but you weren't sure if that was the nerves because everyone was watching or if it really just melted your heart seeing him.

nikolaos reached his hand out for you to grab before bowing slightly before you, "good evening y/n" he whispered out to you. you smiled at him as you took his hand and touched the floor with your feet. you grabbed onto his shoulder with one hand and leaned into his ear and whispered, "i was too afraid to come out here if you weren't here."

"your mother kept me occupied for awhile..." he sighed as he turned and looked over to see where your mother and father stood attending to the guests who walked through the door. "she probably thought you were here wandering around already and didn't want me to take you away from your socializing." you frowned at this, slightly bowing your head and shaking it.

"i'm so sorry nikolaos" you said as you looked up at him, "you know how she is." he nodded and smiled at you reassuringly, "i know i know. i'm not offended don't worry. maybe you should go and get to know more people?" he said as he directed his attention back over to the crowd. the highest nobles were all gathered at the front greeting my parents. your mother and fathers faces beaming at them, you could've sworn you saw dollar signs in their eyes.

that's when he appeared.

"is that... lee heeseung?" you breathed out as you peered over nikolaos' shoulder to see lee heeseung enter, approaching your parents with a polite smile and bow. he was a well known noble. the highest of all the nobles. he was probably at the very very top of the pyramid in the high society. you heard that his parents were practically nonexistent, leaving the entire estate and title to their one and only son. he only had his grandmother and staff living in the mansion with him. you had only seen him maybe two or three other times as he didn't appear at every social event so him showing up at your estate... it was shocking.

not only was heeseung a high noble but he was also definitely the most handsome noble. his silver hair was styled but you loved that he never slicked it back, it looked natural and some pieces of his hair fell perfectly over his beautiful face. silver couldn't be his natural hair color you had thought to yourself, his dark roots showing under the silver. he would probably look perfect in any hair color.

"you should probably go greet him, no? not saying hi to the duke when he attends your ball is surely a crime" nikolaos let out a small laugh. you cleared your throat and nodded, letting go of his hand and placing your hands in front of you. "i hate to admit that you are right. i must go" you bowed slightly before making your way over to where your parents stood at the entrance.

"oh! my dear daughter!" your mother exclaimed, throwing her hands up dramatically as you arrived beside them. heeseung stood in front of them with both of his hands behind his back. he wore a white button up shirt tucked into some black pants with a dark blue jacket over, the collar gold and decorated with different lines and swirls. he looked like a prince.

heeseung eyed you up and down before bowing before you, "good evening lady y/n. i was just thanking your parents for inviting me to such a well organized and beautifully decorated event here at your estate." he brought his head back up and looked at you with a straight face, not even a slight smile had appeared on his face yet his voice sounded like he meant the compliment.

you bowed back to him, "it is an honor to welcome you to my parents estate my grace. we very much hope that you will enjoy it." you smiled at him as you came back up, placing your hands before you as they had before. heeseung simply nodded at you, the two of you looking at each other in silence for a few seconds before your fathers voice interrupted.

"your grace, we have heard about your engagement to the lady cadence laselle. congratulations" your father said as he put a hand over his heart. heeseung breathed in at your fathers words. he looked to the side and then back to your father again, "it seems that is all everyone is talking about, no? a vow between two families many years ago does not just mean i will easily take her as my wife. although..." he said as he then shifted his eyes over to you, "i have heard your daughter is actually to be engaged to nikolaos."

your mother frowned a bit at hearing his words. you already knew she was disappointed that you weren't marrying someone with a higher title and hearing it from the duke just probably made it worse for her. if even the duke knows, there's no going back is there?

you shifted your feet slightly and cleared your throat, "that is right, your grace. i am fortunate enough to not be in a situation like yours."

oh god.

maybe you shouldn't have said that.

your mother and father looked over at you with wide eyes. silence filling the circle. heeseung looked at you, seeming unmoved but then he cleared his throat and looked away. he scoffed and shook his head, a small smirk appearing on his face.

you put a hand over your mouth, "your grace, i am so sorry i didn't mean-"

heeseung put this hand up and nodded at you. "don't worry about it. i do appreciate some honesty every now and then especially since no one says those things to my face and instead behind my back." you weren't expecting him to be so understanding. you had heard only good things about the duke other than the fact that he was a womanizer but he was still a duke and the fact that you spoke to him that way was pretty unbecoming. you didn't know this man at all to be saying something so casual to him, you weren't so sure why or how you said something like that so easily.

"we apologize for her" my mother started, "i know it's no excuse but she has been pretty stressed out with the engagement and everything." she smiled at the duke.

heeseung looked as if he was about to open his mouth when a couple approached your parents and whisked them away before anything else could be said about you, leaving you and heeseung alone in each others presence.

heeseung looked at you before he took a few steps forward, getting closer to you. you felt your breathing stop as he got so close, close enough to where his scent filled your nostrils and he smelled amazing.

he leaned into you, his lips coming close to your ear and he whispered, "i don't appreciate a lady like you having an opinion on my personal matters. i'd be careful if i were you and watch what i say next time... especially to me."

your eyes widened as he leaned back and smiled. he took a bow before walking away from you and disappearing into the crowd of people. your face flushed and you quickly looked around to see if anyone caught sight of the interaction between you and the duke but it seemed that no one was looking and that made you let out a sigh of relief. you looked back to see if nikolaos was where you had left him but he was nowhere to be found.

heeseung wandered out into the courtyard. bringing a cigarette up to his lips, he heard footsteps come up behind him. turning his head, he saw his most trusted advisor, jake sim approaching him.

"i was wondering where you had wandered off to." jake said with a raise of his eyebrow, taking stand beside him. heeseung pulled the cigarette out from his mouth, letting out a puff of smoke. he clicked his tongue as he looked over at jake, "i would've thought you'd be off somewhere chatting it up with a lady."

jake let out a groan and threw his head back slightly, "as much as i would love to be doing that right now, i saw that little situation you had with lady y/n and when i saw that you took off, i thought it be best to come and find you. you disappeared pretty fast though, it took me a while."

"you saw that?" heeseung asked as he reached his cigarette out to jake to offer it to him. jake looked down at it and took it from heeseung, bringing it up to his lips. "i did, yes. i'm always keeping an eye out. although, it seems that even lady y/n was shocked at what had come out of her mouth" jake said with a laugh, "i've been hearing many things about her actually. she's the talk of the ton currently not falling far behind you."

heeseung rolled his eyes, "maybe they should be talking about her instead of me. she's the one who is actually getting married... not me."

"speaking of" jake said as he looked off to the side, drawing out a puff of smoke. "it's interesting really, her engagement to that man. they've known each other since they were children but lady y/n doesn't really seem to be the type to be able to marry a man like that."

heeseung scoffed, "what would you know? have you ever spoken to her?" a spike of curiosity rising in heeseung. he wasn't usually interested in the marriages and engagements going on in society but he himself was having a dilemma of being pushed to get married and even if he didn't want to, he needed to know what options were available to him or not.

"i hear around." jake says with a slight smile on his face, "i pay a lot of attention to gossip. i am your advisor, i need to know what's going on." he crossed his arms over his chest as he looked up at the night sky, "i've heard lady y/n is a pretty independent woman. it seems to get her into trouble a lot, an independent lady like her is not something that most men are looking for. her fiance was one of few willing to put up with that. she's been very open about not wanting to just idly stand by like a trophy for her husband."

heeseung raised an eyebrow at hearing this information, "like?"

jake smirked, "oh so you are curious?" heeseung rolled his eyes at jake and nudged his arm. "she tries her best to be helpful around her estate. she's always helping her father with things. she doesn't like just helping her mother plan out the balls, she's even gone on work trips with her father. she likes to be involved." jake continued to elaborate.

"i see..." heeseung hummed. he threw his cigarette to the ground and put it out with his foot. "does she seem like a romantic to you? do you think she seems like the type of woman to be in her husbands business?"

"what?" jake asked he shifted his body to heeseung so he was completely facing him now, "is she your type? you know she's engaged. you can't exactly just swoop up in there and propose to her-" heeseung put his finger up to jake's face to shush him, "i just need to see what the deal is. if she isn't in love, i've got a chance to offer her what nikolaos will not offer her in their marriage. she seems to be the only woman who would leave me be in a marriage."

"you dog" jake snarled at heeseung, "you just want someone who could care less about you then?"

heeseung smiled at jake as he patted his back, "exactly" he said to him before he walked off, heading back inside the mansion.

two weeks went by of you trying to plan your wedding with your mother and younger sisters. you had all sorts of ideas for the wedding but your mother wasn't exactly the easiest to plan with considering she kept on holding it off every chance she got.

the constant planning and meeting with nikolaos and his family was starting to open your eyes a little more to things that you hadn't even thought about before you got engaged. yes, nikolaos is the sweetest man you know but that doesn't mean there weren't a lot of things that the two of you didn't agree on. nikolaos was a traditional man and he didn't seem to be willing to give any of that up... even for you.

"i don't understand why you can't just let me be involved in some of the business stuff" you frowned at your fiance, "you won't even let me make any decisions? how is that fair if it's a family business!''

nikolaos let out a sigh as he turned to you, "exactly. my family business. you will be my wife, not my business partner. you are meant to stay at home and make decisions at home. not in matters of business. that's not how things work. you are needed at the estate. who will make the decisions at our home if you're not around?"

you felt as if you had been hit in the chest when he emphasized that it was his family business. you didn't think he meant to intentionally be mean by saying it but he said it and meant it. even though the two of you were to be married, he didn't yet see you as someone who was a part of his family. this only further made you feel as if you were an object of decoration for him.

the two of you were having this conversation as you went for a stroll at the public park, members from the both of your families following the two of you from not far behind. all you could think to yourself in that moment was that you needed to get away.

you tilted your head up as you stopped and looked over at nikolaos. "i can't continue with this conversation because i'm afraid that if we do, i will be pushing you into the river." nikolaos' eyes widened at your statement as he watched you continue to walk, "i need to be alone now."

you looked back at your mother and one of your younger sisters then glancing over at nikolaos' mother, "i will be heading off to walk on my own. i'll be in the area, i just need to be alone right now." before any of them could protest you quickly walked off, making your way over to the small bridge that went over the water a bit away. you didn't want to be anywhere near them either.

you leaned against the railing of the bridge, looking over and onto the water. the water was so clear you could see all of the fish swimming around in it. you soon started to feel tears start to prickle your eyes and to keep them from falling you tilted your head back and let out a deep breath.

"not sure if the lady y/n should be off on her own, don't you think?" you heard a somewhat familiar voice say off to the side of you.

you turned your head to see heeseung standing at the end of the bridge with his hands behind his back. he slowly began to approach you with a smirk on his face, finding his place to stand right next to you.

you cleared your throat and bowed slightly, "your grace."

heeseung let out a low laugh and when he did you honestly thought you've never heard anything more beautiful. "formalities? you surprise me. seems you still have manners."

you lowered your head, turning your body to completely face him. "your grace, i am so sorry about that night i really didn't mean to offend you. i just truly... wouldn't wish to be in your position."

heeseung glanced at you before then turning to look down at the water. he leaned against the railing, placing his arms over it so his hands were now dangling over. "aren't you kind of though?"

"excuse me?"

"this marriage, it's something you thought you've always wanted. yet now your feelings are changing about it. or am i wrong?"

you scoffed at the duke. he looked down at the water completely unphased and you hated his arrogance about it. how did he even know about your situation anyways? you thought to yourself.

"i know things" he smiled, "i am the duke, no? i've got my sources of information. plus your heated conversation with nikolaos wasn't exactly low profile like you thought it was. i've done my research. i know the kind of man he is and the kind of woman you are" he said before he looked at you, "you'll be miserable."

your face immediately heated up at his words and you mentally cursed at yourself for it. he knew everything and he spoke of you as if he knew you and something about it made your heart do a million flips. you should have been weirded out, maybe even a little terrified but how could you be when this gorgeous man stood in front of you saying exactly all of the things that you were thinking?

"what are you saying, your grace? i am engaged. this isn't something i can't exactly back out of and i can't seem to change my fiancé's opinion on the matter." you said to him, desperately wanting his eyes to meet yours once again.

heeseung leaned back, placing his hands behind his back once again. his eyes found yours and he took a few steps towards you, "anything is possible, no? i propose..." he started as he reached his hand out and grabbed your gloved hand, "that you come and marry me instead."

you gasped at the contact and although you didn't feel him with your bare skin it was still something and feeling his thumb caress your hand was making you feel all sorts of unbelievable things. you looked up at him with wide eyes, "m-marry you? what are you talking about? you're already engaged and... why me?!"

heeseung pulled his hand away from you, "don't get me wrong my lady, this is purely business. i need to get married because my grandmother keeps pestering me about it and it would be good for the estate and my image. falling in love is not something that interests me at the moment and well you... you want a marriage in which your husband will let you do as you please, no? let you involve yourself instead of keep you home to bear his children. letting you have decisions in regards to my business matters is something i am willing to do."

right, of course. the duke was known as a playboy. falling in love was of course something he didn't care about, a marriage simply for his public image where his wife could care less about what he does in his free time is the ideal arrangement for him. while that wasn't something you were looking for and if anything, you thought yourself to be somewhat a hopeless romantic, a marriage to the duke seemed a million times better than a one to nikolaos at the moment.

you don't even think you were thinking clearly in that moment because without thinking for more than a minute you quickly nodded your head at the duke.

"i'll do it. i'll marry you."