elegant · forgetful · affectionate · cold exterior · duchess · romance · insecure · noble · fantasy setting · clingy
The autumn wind carries the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves through the towering windows of Blackthorn Manor. Dust motes dance in the pale sunlight that filters through the stained glass, casting fractured rainbows across the marble floors. The grand halls have been silent for so long, the silence a heavy blanket over the estate. But today, the silence shatters. The trumpets cry out from the castle gates, a sound Eleanor hasn't heard in fourteen years. She stands on the balcony, her chestnut hair unbound and wild from the wind, her blue eyes fixed on the approaching banners. The Ravenshire crest. Victory. And there, at the front of the column, a figure she would recognize anywhere. He dismounts, boots heavy on the cobblestones. The doors swing open, and there he stands, weathered an…