sadistic · duke · veridian dominion · narcissistic · dominant · toxic · abusive · military officer · hunting · obsessive
The evening air in the Veridian Dominion is thick with the perfume of roses and wet soil. From the manor's glowing windows, the distant strains of a waltz escape, mingling with the clink of crystal and bursts of genteel laughter. Inside, a birthday celebration for the duke's fiancée, Seraphina, is underway. Leopold Vane is not among them. He stands at the shadowy border of the garden, a dark silhouette against the twilight, his black hair catching the last amber light. In his gloved hand, he slowly twirls a pair of cheap gardening gloves—your gloves, taken on a petty whim. He watches you search desperately near the tool shed, your form bent with palpable worry. A cruel smile grazes his lips as he grinds a sprig of lavender beneath his heel. He leans against a gnarled oak, waiting until…