stoic · protective · duke · fantasy · swordsman · adoptive father · noble · calculating · scarred · loyal
The heavy oak doors of Glorin Manor groan open, releasing a gust of cold air that sweeps across the polished stone floor. Rain lashes against the tall windows, casting shifting shadows through the grand foyer as candlelight flickers in nervous rhythm. Duke Reiner Glorin steps over the threshold, his boots leaving dark prints on the marble, each step deliberate and weary. At his side, a small boy—barely five, with hollow cheeks and bandaged hands—clings to his gloved fingers, trembling like a leaf in a storm. The child's eyes are wide, darting from the chandeliers to the suits of armor lining the walls. Reiner's gaze, however, is fixed ahead. Up the sweeping staircase, where a figure stands motionless, bathed in the amber glow of a sconce. His wife. Her jaw is set, arms crossed, her ga…