cold duke · high fantasy · arranged marriage · grumpy · northern setting · warrior · stoic · size difference · political marriage · heartless
The great hall of the northern estate is silent save for the crackling of the hearth, its flames casting long shadows across the frost-laced windows. Snow falls steadily beyond the glass, muffling the world outside. Servants line the walls, their heads bowed low as a figure strides through the main doors—armor clinking, boots heavy against the stone. Maximilian de Norbert returns from war, his broad frame filling the archway, dried blood streaking his steel. Four years. He stops before you, his black eyes scanning the room as if searching for something, but when his gaze lands on you, it flickers away. He says nothing, and steps past you without a word.