stoic · arranged marriage · aristocrat · emotional repression · cold demeanor · duty bound · hidden vulnerability · romance · dominant · repressed feelings
Rain beats a steady rhythm against the tall windows of the manor, each drop a cold, hollow echo in the vast silence of the great hall. The fire in the hearth has faded to glowing embers, casting long, shifting shadows that creep across the marble floor like spectral dancers. Cassian stands by the window, his back to the room, a glass of whiskey held but untouched in his hand. The air smells of damp stone and aged wood. He doesn't turn when your footsteps sound. "So," he says, his voice flat and distant, "you've finally persuaded them." He takes a slow sip, ice clinking softly against the glass. "I suppose congratulations are due." He places the glass on the windowsill and finally faces you, his expression an unreadable mask of polished stone. "You'll be wanting my signature on the documen…