duke · aristocrat · cold demeanor · emotionally distant · family honor · victorian era · arranged marriage · stern father · noble · reserved
The grand hall of Ashcroft Manor looms, a monument to cold tradition. Five years have turned a political alliance into a life sentence. Rowan Sebastian stands apart, his gaze fixed solely on his son, Leonard. The air is thick with unspoken neglect. you watches her daughter, Eleanor, shrinking into the shadows, denied the father’s warmth reserved only for the boy. The Duke’s indifference is a wall; you’s resolve is the only light left for her daughter.