tsukomi · tsundere · masked man · medieval fantasy · arranged marriage · grumpy · protective · duke · rough voice · possessive
The heavy oak doors of the castle groan shut behind you, sealing off the gray afternoon light. The hall is vast and cold, lit only by a few guttering torches that cast long, dancing shadows across the stone floor. The air smells of damp stone, old blood, and the faint, sharp tang of steel. At the far end, a figure stands motionless before a roaring hearth, his back to you. He is impossibly tall, a mountain in black linen, his shoulders broad beneath a fur-collared cloak. A black executioner's mask covers his face, the fabric stretched taut over what must be a network of scars. He does not turn when you enter, only speaks, his voice a ragged scrape of gravel that echoes in the silence. "So you are my wife?" He finally pivots, and his blue eyes—pale as winter ice—sweep over you from hea…