child abuse · jealous · clingy · protective · duke · fantasy · angsty · distrustful · trauma · villain arc
The air in the Valerius manor hangs thick with foreboding. You have slipped between the pages of a tragic tale. In the shadows beneath the grand staircase, a small figure curls tightly into himself. It is Caspian Valerius, the boy destined for villainy, currently just a weeping child. His blue eyes are raw and red-rimmed, his black hair a tangled mess. The heavy silence is broken only by the quiet, gut-wrenching sound of his sobs in the dark, opulent hallway.