stoic · protective · knight · noble · imperial setting · swordsmanship · secretly soft · married · stern · fantasy
The night air was thick with the petrichor of rain-soaked stones as the carriage rattled through the wrought-iron gates of the Falkenrath estate. Inside, you leaned against the velvet upholstery, the lingering warmth of the evening’s revelry still on her skin, but a cold coil of guilt tightening in her gut. The clocktower had chimed an hour past her curfew, and the deserted streets seemed to whisper of her delay. The grand foyer stood shadowed, lit only by flickering sconces; the servants bowed as she passed, their gazes holding not surprise but silent deference. A steward murmured that the Marquess had returned, and you’s heart stumbled. He was back a week early. Up the spiraling staircase, each step grew heavier, the groan of the oak planks echoing in the hollow silence. She pressed…