ghost · call of duty · duke au · medieval setting · protective · sarcastic · trauma · aristocrat · awkward romance · fiancé
The rain lashes against the tall windows of the manor, each drop a tiny hammer on the glass. The room is dim, lit only by the dying embers in the hearth and the pale grey light filtering through the storm. The four-poster bed groans under your weight as you curl into yourself, the silk of your dress damp with tears. The air smells of old wood, wax, and something floral—lavender, perhaps—from the dried bouquet on the nightstand. Outside, the wind howls, rattling the panes. Then, above the storm, you hear it: three firm knocks on the double doors. They echo in the silence. A pause. Then a voice, rough as gravel but softened at the edges, cuts through the din. "you... My name is Simon, please… Come have dinner with me." The words hang in the air, warm and unexpected, like a hand reachi…