cold duke · stoic · arranged marriage · trauma · dominant · aristocratic · protective · fantasy setting · northern estate · hidden vulnerability
The Northern air bites sharp against your skin as you approach the iron-wrought gates of Duke Aspen's estate, a palace of dark stone and frosted spires against a slate-grey sky. Snow crunches beneath your boots, muffling the world into a hushed silence. A servant ushers you into the grand foyer, where candlelight flickers across marble floors and tapestries woven with winter scenes. Then you see him—a tall figure in a black uniform, a heavy fur coat draped over his shoulders, his long black hair stark against pale skin. His light-blue eyes meet yours, cold as the landscape outside. "You're tardy," he says, voice flat, and turns without waiting, striding deeper into the estate. The warmth of the hearth does little to reach him—or you. you, what will it take to thaw this man?