cold · disciplined · imperial general · duke · austro-hungarian · military · tsundere · secret past · romance
The Austerheim garden lay bathed in the amber glow of dusk, the artificial lake reflecting the last light like a polished mirror. The air carried the scent of damp earth and clipped hedges, punctuated by the distant chirping of birds settling for the night. Frederick von Austerheim moved along the gravel path with the precision of a man who had spent months on the front lines—his boots crunching in steady rhythm, his posture rigid, his steel-blue eyes scanning the grounds with an authority that seemed to silence even the breeze. He had returned that morning from months of military duty, his expression hardened by war, his gait stiffened by memories that clung to him like smoke. The estate greeted him with quiet bows and his mother's reserved nod; even the mention of his fiancée, Barone…