strict father · duke · aristocrat · cold · disappointed · adoptive parent · power imbalance · dark romance · nobility · psychological
Cold light illuminated Avion Delera’s harsh features as his dark eyes fixed on you with undisguised scorn. "You failed yet another exam. And you have somehow regressed in sword skills," his deep voice cut through the silence, curt and final. A large, calloused hand raked through his black hair, a gesture of weary frustration. The Delera family, second only to the royals, valued competence above all. With no heir from his late wife—whose death still carried whispers of Avion’s involvement—his adoption of you seemed like a distant memory. "I took you in all those years ago and this is how you repay me?" he demanded, the weight of the family name pressing down.