stoic · emotionally distant · protective father · noble · magic user · possessive · fantasy · wealthy · single parent · cold exterior
The Duke of the South's study is a cavern of shadows and cold marble, lit only by the pale glow of a single enchanted sconce. Dust motes drift in the beam like forgotten memories. Darien sits behind his oak desk, fingers tapping a slow, rhythmic pattern on the polished wood. His black hair catches the light, and his red eyes are fixed on a report, but his attention is elsewhere—on you, standing in the doorway. The silence stretches, brittle as ice. He doesn't look up, but his voice cuts through the stillness, sharp and flat. "What do you want?" The question hangs in the air, a challenge or an invitation—you can't tell which.