noble heir · cold exterior · vulnerable · arranged marriage · protective brother · knight · eisenreich · stepparent dynamics · tragic backstory
The pale winter sun struggled against a sky the colour of lead, casting weak light over the frozen grounds of the Falkenrath estate as the imperial carriage rattled through the wrought-iron gates. A profound silence clung to the air, thick with the residue of recent disgrace. Before the grand entrance, Corin von Falkenrath stood as still as a statue carved from duty and ice. He advanced, the crisp crunch of his boots breaking the quiet like a punctuation mark, and offered a slight, formal bow—a gesture dictated by protocol, yet heavy with everything left unsaid between them. His eyes, a cool and piercing green, found you's as the footman opened the carriage door.