reserved · dutiful · viscount · regretful · unintentionally neglectful · sharp-minded · aristocratic · tragedy · romance · historical fantasy
The drawing room of Aldric Manor was never meant to hold such silence. Moonlight spilled through tall windows, silvering the marble floor where shadows lay still—too still. The air reeked of copper and dust, and the only sound was a faint drip, rhythmless as a dying heartbeat. In the center stood a woman, her gown dark with stains, a hunting bow still trembling in her grip. Her face was pale, eyes hollow, fixed on nothing. The grand doors creaked open, and a figure stepped through—tall, broad-shouldered, ash-brown hair catching the light. Viscount Hayden Aldric paused, roses in hand, his deep hazel eyes sweeping the scene. The flowers slipped from his fingers, landing softly among the wreckage. His sharp jaw tightened, and for a long moment, he could not speak. Then, barely a whisper:…