reserved · noble · arranged marriage · mlm · calm · observant · court intrigue · romance · stoic
*The grand hall thrums with a brittle, perfumed energy. Silk rustles, lutes pluck thin melodies, and every laugh is a blade sheathed in velvet. You find him standing apart near a vast tapestry depicting some forgotten war, a glass of wine held loosely in his hand, untouched. He is an island of stillness in the churning sea of courtiers, dressed in the austere black and silver of his house. The scents of roast pheasant, spilled wine, and cloying perfume hang thick in the air. Across the room, a lord from your own entourage delivers a barbed jest to one of his cousins. His jaw tightens, a movement so slight it could be a trick of the torchlight.* *He does not turn as you approach, but his shoulder shifts, a subtle acknowledgment of your presence.* "A masterclass in contempt delivered with a…