Story cover for The Duke of shadows by sey-shell
The Duke of shadows
sey-shell
  • WpView
    Reads 142
  • WpVote
    Votes 0
  • WpPart
    Parts 19
  • WpHistory
    Time 2h 52m
  • WpView
    Reads 142
  • WpVote
    Votes 0
  • WpPart
    Parts 19
  • WpHistory
    Time 2h 52m
sey-shell
Complete, First published Aug 06
Mature
asianmanxblackgirlbingeworthybooksbooktokdarkromanceduchessdukeenemiestoloversexplicitforcedmarriagegothicromancehiddengemwattpadhistoricalromanceinterracialmarriageofconveniencemysteriousdukenoblemanxcommonersexscenesshadowsslowburnromancevictorianeravictorianromancewattpadreadswattpadromancewattpadwriters
In a world of lace and lies, she was nothing but a bargaining chip.

Orphaned. Unwanted. Forgotten.
Seventeen year old Elowen has spent her life in the shadow of a family that only took her in for appearances. Now, burdened by poverty and mounting debts, they sell her off to a man no one dares speak of in daylight.

The Duke of Draemond.
Feared. Revered. Ruthless.

But the Duke is no ageing aristocrat. He's young, cold, and hiding a blood-stained, shadowy empire beneath his noble title. She was meant to be his puppet wife. Instead, she becomes his greatest weakness... and possibly his undoing.

A tale of secrets, survival, and a love that was never meant to bloom.
All Rights Reserved
asianmanxblackgirlbingeworthybooksbooktokdarkromanceduchessdukeenemiestoloversexplicitforcedmarriagegothicromancehiddengemwattpadhistoricalromanceinterracialmarriageofconveniencemysteriousdukenoblemanxcommonersexscenesshadowsslowburnromancevictorianeravictorianromancewattpadreadswattpadromancewattpadwriters
Table of contents

19 parts

Sign up to add The Duke of shadows to your library and receive updates
or
Content Guidelines
You may also like
From Crime To Court by KimberlyTanithMarie
38 parts Complete Mature
β–ͺ️TIME TRAVEL ROMANCEβ–ͺ️ "Go on, lie to me again..." With my back pressed against the wall, I stammered, "What-" Alessio placed a finger against my lips, silencing my protests, and smirked, "But try and make it more believable this time." **** In a desperate attempt to evade the Italian Mafia, art historian Serena Costa finds herself thrust back in time, landing amongst the splendour of the Renaissance, an era dominated by kings and their courts. In this patriarchal society, where roles are strictly defined, as a female, her destiny is already predetermined. However, Serena is resourceful and cleverly disguises herself as a man, named Sereno. Unfortunately, she soon finds herself in the service of the Marquis of Savoy. Though Lord Alessio possesses a magnetic charm and a sharp mind, he remains blissfully unaware that his new and slightly mysterious squire is, in fact, a woman. Imagine his surprise when he begins to develop unexpected feelings for Sereno, leading him to question everything he thought he knew about himself. Serena must balance the weight of her concealed identity while trying to find her way back to the present. However, things becomes even more treacherous when her growing affection for the Marquis complicates her path. πŸ”…Rated R: Contains thematic issues, adult language, MATURE sexual content, violence and possible triggers. ------------------------------------------------- Cover Photo: Edited by @KimberlyTanithMarie using an image generated by Midjourney Β© All rights reserved 2023 I DO NOT consent to my story being translated, copied or otherwise reproduced by anyone.
Moonlight's Deception (Eclipse of Hiestora, Book 1) by TheWallflowerWitch
43 parts Complete
Freedom comes at a price and a young Earthal princess must live the life of somebody else, even if it means facing evil threats and impossible odds. *** As someone who craves freedom, Princess Clarabelle cannot just stand by and let her life be taken away. And as if her own power has granted her heart's desire, she wakes up only to find herself inside the body of another princess who survives from her attempted assassination. While trying to adapt to the new kingdom, she discovers a plot that leads to Hiestora's downfall. Now, the future of their world lies on her shoulders. How long will she continue to live through deception when she, despite all the chase, finally gets what she wants? In the strange twist and turn of fate, Clara is given an option to stay or to go back. Featured in: 🌟 @WattpadFantasyPH - Romance Fantasy (May '23) 🌟 @WattpadWitches - Broad-spectrum Spellcasters 🌟 @magic - Magically Heart Fluttering 🌟 @WattpadDarkFantasy - Dark Desires 🌟 @antiheroesgalore - Monstrously Fantastic 🌟 @Fantasy - Hidden Fantasy Gems from Wattpad Outreach 🌟 @Alt-U - 42 Isn't the Answer Everywhere 🌟 @WattpadOutreach - Best of Fantasy 🌟 @WattCliches - Enough Reality Today 🌟 @WattpadESL - Fantastical, Magical & Mythical In One --- Date Started: February 28, 2021 Date Finished: February 24, 2023 [word count: 100,000 - 110,000 words] Cover designed by bottle_of_rum
The Game II Draco Malfoy x Reader by xiri_xera
9 parts Complete Mature
"Was it all just a big game to you? Did you just want to make me think that I can be loved and then throw me out like you do to all the others? Fuck, and to think that I trusted you" "No, you know what's my want? Let me show you. Let me love you. Let me be the one you do everything with" "Stop trying to win this stupid game. Go on and be happy, I lost." "You think you lost? Love, you could be anything but wrong because I lost ages ago." Senior year at Hogwarts can't get more chaotic. With secret romances, stolen glances, private meetings and sizzling tension, the game seemed to reach an all time high. But with death, warnings, lies and forbidden promises swirling around, they can either trust each other or torture themselves. But is it really a problem if, in the name of love (or possibly, deception), one crosses some boundaries? Is it really a problem if you stand in a blood bath, searching for the one person you trust to put a knife in your heart? And is it really a problem if you have a knife in your heart and the person who holds the dagger makes you feel that maybe dying isn't so bad if your last moments are ones drowning in their eyes. You know what they say. All's fair in love and war. In this case, however. Both. -------------------------- Draco Malfoy x Reader tropes: rivals to lovers, forbidden romance, brother's best friend, dark romance, dark academia, forced proximity, "who-did-this-to-you", found family, one bed, fake dating, childhood enemies, family saga, no-strings attached, fwb, touch-her-and-die, found family This story doesn't rely on smut for plot. (though it is there) Written by Xiri Xera (Nora and Isra)
Insane Desiresγ€ŠCompleted》 by Inkedbysof
69 parts Complete Mature
✯ A rom com dark romance✯ Behind the façade of innocence, secrets lurk, hidden behind masks of deception. The truth, however, is far more sinister, tangled in a web of blood and betrayal. In the darkest recesses of the human heart, a maelstrom of emotions rages: the insanity of love, the venom of hatred, and the all-consuming flames of obsession. This is a world where the war between lies and truths is merely a smokescreen, concealing the deadliest secrets that lurk in the shadows. And it is here, in this twilight realm, that the truth reveals its most sinister aspect: the unholy desires that drive men to madness. Their desires, a raging inferno of obsession, consume them whole, dragging them down to the depths of hell. And it is there, in that fiery abyss, that they will be consumed by the very flames that once drove them. Their own insane desires will be their undoing, burning them alive in a sea of madness and despair. Two couples, bound by the inexorable forces of fate, are consumed by an insane obsession that threatens to destroy them. One is driven by a maddening rage, fueled by the deadliest secrets that lurk behind their desires. The other is blinded by bloody truths and perilous secrets, succumbing to a brutal obsession that knows no bounds. As they hurtle towards a war of death, their desires become a deadly consuming force, devouring everything in their path. The line between truth and lies blurs, and the only reality is the all-consuming obsession that drives them forward, towards a catastrophic destiny. Reveal the hidden truths and lies where they lurk behind the Insane desires. Book#2 of obssession series.
White Lies by dariarhodes
77 parts Complete Mature
"You can't take all of us, sweetheart." Valen's voice is smooth, teasing, but the way his fingers brush against my hip isn't playful. It's testing. Behind me, Fennec chuckles, his breath warm as he leans in, his lips barely ghosting the shell of my ear. "She could try." His voice dips lower, dragging heat down my spine. "I'd love to watch her try." ------------------------------- Soraya Cordova was never meant to survive. Stolen as a child and discarded as a mistake, she was given a second chance when the Cordovas adopted her into a life of wealth, secrets, and silent wars. But when her parents are declared dead and the world turns against her found family, she realizes survival is no longer enough, she needs to fight. Raised as assassins, her adoptive brothers have spent years keeping her in the dark, but now? Now, she's in the center of the storm. Wanted by the government. Hunted by the man who created her. And trapped in a dangerous game of love, loyalty, and lies with the only people who have ever mattered. Because in their world, trust is a weapon. Not all love stories are gentle. Some are jagged at the edges, built on shadows and sins, tangled in pasts too dark to escape. White Lies is one of those stories. It's about the things we do to survive, the lies we tell to protect, and the love that thrives even in the darkest corners. Read at your own risk.
All The Ways You're Mine by uniquelynisha
27 parts Complete Mature
Serena has always been the quiet girl-the one who blends into the background, careful never to attract too much attention. But behind closed doors, she lives a double life. Online, she's a bestselling anonymous author of steamy romances that her classmates are obsessed with... never suspecting that the stories come from her. Then comes Kaden-the new senior who turns heads just by walking into a room. Serena swears she'll ignore him, until he slips into her imagination and onto the pages of her latest series. She writes him into a world where he's bold, magnetic, impossible to resist... everything she's too shy to want in real life. But when Kaden stumbles across her forgotten notebook, he discovers her secret and himself within it. Amused, intrigued, and strangely drawn in, he decides to play along. Every glance, every word, every moment becomes a game between them, as if they're co-authoring their own hidden love story. Yet when Serena moves on in her writing creating a new fictional love interest Kaden's amusement turns into something else entirely. He doesn't just want to be her inspiration anymore. He wants to make her words come alive, and he won't let her close the book on him.
Amity by RoamingLegend
23 parts Complete
Amity She was meant to disappear. Instead, she became impossible to ignore. June Waterford was supposed to keep her head down-just a servant girl with a shadowed past. But one night at a masquerade ball changes everything. A dangerous man from her past recognizes her. A fake engagement becomes her only shield. And pretending to belong to someone else? Starts to feel like the safest truth she's ever known. But June is done hiding. Done surviving. It's time to end the game-and choose her own story. An empowering slow-burn romance with knives, fake vows, and one unforgettable girl who refuses to be owned.
Inherited Vows by fictionbutterfly
8 parts Ongoing Mature
When Iris is forced to take her sister's place in an engagement that she never agreed to, she suddenly finds herself wearing white, standing next to a groom she's only just met, and questioning every decision that led her here. She always thought she had time to figure life out. Living with her older sister, Hyacinth, meant a mix of love, arguments, and familiarity-until Hyacinth dropped a bombshell. She was married. She was pregnant. And she was moving out immediately. Now Iris is scrambling, job-stressed, apartment-hunting, and somehow caught up in a family arrangement she didn't sign up for. One moment, she's dealing with the fallout of Hyacinth's choices; the next, she's posing for engagement photos with a man meant for her sister. She is not the bride. She is definitely not supposed to be here. But for the sake of keeping everything from falling apart, she plays along. Thrown into a world of expectations, tangled relationships, and choices she never made, Iris must decide-will she keep living in her sister's shadow, or finally step into a story that's her own?
In These Days of War by Troublesome_Wench
17 parts Ongoing Mature
The elven kingdom of TΓ­rnΓ©th, weakened by civil war, is unable to ward off the threat posed by the mortal men of Carransii. For the first time in recorded history, foreign feet scale the Aghadh Mountains and tread elven land in pursuit of the most coveted thing in the world: The magic of the Misty Bog. Lying to the north of TΓ­rnΓ©th and governed by the Seelie Queen, it is a domain even elves are forbidden from entering. Even so, Princess Eimhir and her younger sisters make the journey to its border at the behest of her father, King LorcΓ‘n, in a desperate bid to preserve his legacy as the enemy closes in from the south. He entrusts his daughters to the care of his enigmatic Warden of the North, who holds her lonely vigil in the Grey Tower of the Wall of Devin. But in these days of war, Eimhir refuses to be passive. She will not be a damsel in distress awaiting the cold kiss of her enemy's blade. With her mind honed by the cutthroat politics of the royal court, she wields it like a weapon, but can she maintain her ruthlessness through the burgeoning feelings she holds for her protector? Content warning: violence, gore, explicit sexual content, mentions and depictions of death, grief, emotional manipulation/abuse, suicidal ideation, and indoctrination.
BENEATH THE VOWS by _essenceofme_
58 parts Complete Mature
[Selected for the Wattys shortlist-2025] "𝑺𝒉𝒆 π’˜π’‚π’” 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒅 π’Šπ’π’•π’ π’”π’Šπ’π’†π’π’„π’†. 𝑯𝒆 π’˜π’‚π’” 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 π’Šπ’π’•π’ 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍. π‘΅π’†π’Šπ’•π’‰π’†π’“ 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. π‘΅π’π’˜ π’Šπ’•'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’π’π’π’š π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’Žπ’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’• π’…π’†π’”π’•π’“π’π’š π’•π’‰π’†π’Ž 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉." When Vanora Blackthorn is forced into a cold, calculated marriage to Alestor Drevenhart-the ruthless heir of a powerful dynasty-she thinks she's escaped one nightmare only to enter another. But beneath the icy vows and suffocating walls of the Drevenhart estate, something begins to shift. Secrets fester. Obsession brews. And love? Love was never part of the deal... until it becomes the deadliest one of all. Will she survive the cruel games of a family that never wanted her? Will he learn to love the woman he was never meant to care for? Or will their hearts shatter beneath the very vows that bound them?" "𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 π’Žπ’†π’‚π’π’• 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 π’”π’π’Žπ’†π’˜π’‰π’†π’“π’† π’ƒπ’†π’•π’˜π’†π’†π’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 π’ƒπ’†π’„π’‚π’Žπ’† 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’π’π’π’š π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 π’π’Šπ’—π’† π’˜π’Šπ’•π’‰π’π’–π’•."
You may also like
Slide 1 of 10
From Crime To Court cover
Moonlight's Deception (Eclipse of Hiestora, Book 1) cover
The Game II Draco Malfoy x Reader cover
Insane Desiresγ€ŠCompleted》 cover
White Lies cover
All The Ways You're Mine cover
Amity cover
Inherited Vows cover
In These Days of War cover
BENEATH THE VOWS cover

From Crime To Court

38 parts Complete Mature

β–ͺ️TIME TRAVEL ROMANCEβ–ͺ️ "Go on, lie to me again..." With my back pressed against the wall, I stammered, "What-" Alessio placed a finger against my lips, silencing my protests, and smirked, "But try and make it more believable this time." **** In a desperate attempt to evade the Italian Mafia, art historian Serena Costa finds herself thrust back in time, landing amongst the splendour of the Renaissance, an era dominated by kings and their courts. In this patriarchal society, where roles are strictly defined, as a female, her destiny is already predetermined. However, Serena is resourceful and cleverly disguises herself as a man, named Sereno. Unfortunately, she soon finds herself in the service of the Marquis of Savoy. Though Lord Alessio possesses a magnetic charm and a sharp mind, he remains blissfully unaware that his new and slightly mysterious squire is, in fact, a woman. Imagine his surprise when he begins to develop unexpected feelings for Sereno, leading him to question everything he thought he knew about himself. Serena must balance the weight of her concealed identity while trying to find her way back to the present. However, things becomes even more treacherous when her growing affection for the Marquis complicates her path. πŸ”…Rated R: Contains thematic issues, adult language, MATURE sexual content, violence and possible triggers. ------------------------------------------------- Cover Photo: Edited by @KimberlyTanithMarie using an image generated by Midjourney Β© All rights reserved 2023 I DO NOT consent to my story being translated, copied or otherwise reproduced by anyone.

More details