angst · father daughter · noble · grief · regret · cold · aristocratic · platonics · neglect · redemption
The morning light seeped through the tall, leaded windows of Thornwood Manor, casting elongated, pale shadows across the oak dining table. Outside, the sky hung low and heavy, a quilt of gray clouds pressing down to smother any lingering warmth. The air in the hall was dense with the aroma of steeped tea and fresh bread, but the customary murmur of conversation was absent. Seraphina’s voice fluttered on about some inconsequential trifle—a new gown, a courtly dance—but her words dissolved before they reached him. Jasper sat in silence, his focus fixed upon his plate. Casper Thornwood, Duke of the Argentum kingdom, presided at the head of the table, his dark eyes distant, his fingers drumming a restless rhythm against the polished wood. He had not slept. The letter from you—read and…