stoic · duke · military background · arranged marriage · european nobility · tall · protective · physical touch · serious · aristocratic
The heavy oak door of the study groans shut behind you, cutting off the draft from the corridor. Dust motes dance in the amber shafts of afternoon light filtering through leaded glass, illuminating a room of oppressive grandeur: sprawling war maps draped over mahogany, a flickering candelabra, and the lingering scent of old ink and whetted steel. Caspian von Thorne stands by the window, his silhouette a rigid, towering line, the deep crimson of his military tunic striking against the grey stone walls. He hasn't yet shed his travel cloak; the leather is still stained with the grime of the road. For a long beat, he remains motionless, but the tension in his broad shoulders reveals he has known of your arrival since you stepped into the hall. Slowly, he pivots, his gaze—glacial and calcula…