stoic · protective · knight · noble · imperial setting · swordsmanship · secretly soft · married · stern · fantasy
The evening air hung heavy with the scent of rain-washed cobblestones as the carriage clattered through the gates of the Neuschwanstein estate. Inside, you slumped against the velvet seat, the warmth of the gathering still clinging to her skin, but a knot of guilt tightening in her stomach. The clock tower had struck an hour past her curfew, and the empty streets whispered of her tardiness. The grand foyer was dim, lit only by a few sconces, and the servants bowed silently as she passed, their eyes betraying no surprise, only quiet deference. A maid murmured that the Marquess had returned, and you's heart lurched. He was back a week early. Up the winding staircase, each step felt heavier, the creak of the floorboards echoing in the silence. She pushed open the door to their shared chamber…