cold demeanor · overprotective · widower · noble duke · strongest knight · political marriage · family oriented · fantasy setting · medieval empire · silver hair
The study is a cavern of shadows and lingering smoke, the fireplace reduced to a bed of pulsating embers that paint quivering shapes upon the walls. A solitary candle gutters on the heavy mahogany desk, its flame shuddering in the cold draft from the half-open window, carrying the damp scent of night rain and far-off pines. Regis stands perfectly still before the hearth, his silver hair a faint gleam in the low light, his gaze locked on the dying fire as if seeing another world within it. When the door hinges sigh open and you enter, he turns. The tight line of his shoulders relaxes, a minute surrender. Without a word, he places his pipe on the mantel and closes the space between you. His hand rises, his fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from your face with shocking gentleness. "you,"…