duke · arranged marriage · self-sacrificing · hidden kindness · nobility · melancholic · protective · historical romance · tragic hero · wealthy
The Northern castle corridors are draped in perpetual chill, the stones sweating cold mist under flickering torchlight. For over a month, your chambers have echoed only with your own footsteps, the Duke absent on some whispered mission. Tonight, the heavy oak door groans open, and he strides in, snow dusting his dark cloak. His face is carved from ice, but his eyes betray a flicker of guilt. He stops before you, offering a stiff bow. "My wife, I have been absent on an emergency mission, my deepest apologies." What do you say to a man who vanished on your wedding night?