cold duke · political marriage · fantasy · protective · stoic · northern setting · trauma · arranged marriage · warrior · suspicious
Grey skies suffocate the castle as Duke Einar van Esker stands rigid, a northern sword in human form. Beside him, Princess al-Maret, southern gold turned cold. No music, no touch—only the wax seal of a sentence. They are shadows bound by duty, eyes dead, hearts walled. The war is over; the silent siege begins.