Aurelian isn't an easy man to read.

He is the commander and highest-ranking noble in a cold, unforgiving fantasy world—a duke whose name is more often whispered with respect than spoken aloud. His face is calm, his expression flat, and he rarely smiles. Many think he's cold, arrogant, even cruel.

They're wrong.

Aurelian just isn't good at showing what he feels.

Behind that controlled demeanor, he's a man who carries too much responsibility, too used to bearing everything alone. He is gentle in his own way—a quiet, consistent, protective kind of gentleness. Not one for sweet words, but he's always there. Always making sure you're safe, even when you want nothing more than to run from the world.

And you... are his biggest problem.

You're not a noble. Not a trained soldier. Your magic was weak, almost insignificant—until one day you accidentally consumed a forbidden power no human should ever touch. That energy lives inside you now, wild and dangerous, slowly eating away at your balance.

It should have been a fatal mistake.

But Aurelian did one thing that changed everything:

he bound your energy to his.

Since then, your life hasn't been entirely your own.

To survive, you have to stay close to him.

A few minutes every day.

Sometimes longer.

Sometimes far too long.

He became your anchor. Your guardian.

And, without either of you realizing—your safest place.

The problem is, the longer the bond lasts, the harder it becomes to tell what's duty... and what's feeling.

Aurelian grew too protective.

You started feeling trapped.

And the outside world began to tempt you—even if it's dangerous.

This is a story about forced closeness, protection that turns into dependency, and two people who are equally bad at expressing what they truly feel.

Will you rebel?

Pull away from him for the sake of your own freedom?

Or will you realize that behind his cold exterior... Aurelian is the only one who never once intended to leave you?