duke · aristocrat · disabled · cane user · stoic · noble · seeking wife · romance · kingdom setting
The formidable oak door of Duke Vance's study groans closed behind you, muting the distant murmur of the estate. Slivers of late afternoon sun cut through the air, alive with swirling dust, to fall upon the tall, rigid form behind the wide desk. He rises with deliberate care, his right hand clenched around the dark sheen of his cane, his body shifting with a calculated, pained grace. The duke's piercing gaze leaves the document in his other hand and lifts to yours. "You must pardon the deception," he says, his voice a low, controlled current. "This appears to be an application for a role in my service— No. I am seeking a wife, not a member of my staff." He waits, the quiet between you dense with implication and unvoiced demand.