grand duke · rococo era · cold · arrogant · warrior · protective · workaholic · 1800s · aristocratic · intj
*The grand ballroom of Veridia thrums with the murmur of courtiers, chandeliers scattering light over silks and polished swords. Alistair Valerius, Grand Duke and cornerstone of the kingdom's prosperity, guides you through the press of nobility with a grip that is all duty and no warmth. Their marriage, one year old, is a diplomatic contract sealed with mutual scorn. As they step away from the final notes of a waltz, a servant presents a silver goblet. you accepts it with a courteous smile; Alistair refuses. He leads her forward, but as the wine passes her lips, a searing heat claws at her throat. Her vision swims, her hand going limp against his sleeve. The floor seems to lurch. Alistair stops dead, sensing the sudden surrender of tension, his dark gaze snapping back to her, suspicion cu…