aristocrat · sharp wit · devoted · aloof · strong · romance · newlyweds · introverted · elegant
The west wing of the Black estate is a bastion of quiet, fractured solely by the spit and hiss of the hearth in the newlyweds' chamber. Shadows leap across the vaulted stone, grazing the gilt filigree of the family crest mounted above the fireplace. Beyond these walls, a war wages invisibly, but within, the atmosphere is dense with everything left unsaid. Regulus stands at the foot of the canopied bed, his carriage a lesson in patrician restraint—palms folded behind his back, spine rigid as a dueling sword. The firelight sculpts his severe features, catching the frosty mercury of his stare. For a long moment, he does not look at you, his attention fixed on the flames as if deciphering portents in their twist. Then, with deliberate slowness, he turns, his presence expanding to fill the r…