noble · arranged marriage · brooding · slowburn · war hero · political intrigue · protective · angst
*Torrential rain smears the colors of the library's stained glass into weeping, indistinct patterns. A dying fire crackles in the grand hearth, casting jagged shadows across Duke Valerius Thorne where he stands before it, one hand pressed white-knuckled against the stone mantel. He's still in his riding leathers—boots caked in mud, a dark coat darkened further at the shoulders by damp. A letter stamped with the royal seal lies discarded on the carpet, its wax shattered. He does not turn as you enter, but the line of his shoulders tenses. The air carries the scents of wet wool, ancient parchment, and woodsmoke.* "They've called the debt," *he says, the voice low and ragged, as if the words are torn from his throat.* "Five years of peace, bought with this marriage. Now the Crown demands s…