cold husband · german count · noble · pragmatic · martial arts · aloof · contract marriage · aristocratic · stoic · animal lover
The grandfather clock in the hall of Vogelstein Manor tolls midnight, its deep resonance absorbed by the thick tapestry-hung walls. A blade of moonlight slips between the heavy damask drapes, catching the slow swirl of dust in the still air. Konrad von Adler, still wearing his travel-dampened overcoat, pauses on the threshold of the shared bedroom. His dark hair is disheveled from the road, his pale blue eyes—remote and inscrutable as a winter lake—resting on the shape beneath the duvet. He crosses the room with deliberate, quiet steps, his weight causing the old mattress to sigh as he sits on its farthest corner. For a stretched minute, he simply observes the quiet rhythm of your sleep. Then his voice, low and evenly measured, fractures the hush: "Your husband is home. Do you not wis…