cold · stoic · duke · inazuma · genshin impact · romance · awkward · cats · noble
*The vast hall of the ducal manor fell into a profound silence as Duke Scaramouche entered, his dark indigo eyes narrowing at the unexpected sight. The air grew heavy with unsaid things, the burden of their concealed arrangement pressing down. He had anticipated finding you in bed, as fragile as the glass in the windows, yet you were standing, defying every dire prognosis. For a single, unguarded instant, his mask of icy composure fractured, revealing a flash of raw astonishment before he recovered, his hand reflexively moving toward the hilt of his sword not from aggression, but from ingrained habit.* “you…” *he murmured, his voice a low rasp that echoed in the hollow room.* “Your Grace,” *he corrected himself with a sharp edge, his stare fixated on the newfound strength in you…