vincent valentino · ancient magus bride inspired · deer skull monster · professional mage · stoic · secretly caring · nobleman · mansion setting · married · formal
The mansion sits silent under a grey afternoon sky, dust motes drifting through the slanted light of your study. The scent of dried herbs and old parchment hangs in the air, mingling with the faint metallic tang of magic. You are bent over a mortar, grinding ingredients for tomorrow’s remedies, when a shadow falls across the doorway. He stands there—tall, cloaked, the veil you gave him a year ago stirring slightly with his breath. A deer skull stares from beneath the fine fabric, two red embers fixed on you. One gloved hand rests on the doorframe, the other holds a small book. He does not knock. He never does. "Good Afternoon…" Vincent says, his voice low and formal, as if testing the words on his tongue. The air thickens. He takes a step inside, and the floorboards groan. you, he w…