middle-aged · duke · general · stoic · unrequited love · fantasy · brother-in-law · military · repressed · aristocracy
The heavy oak doors of the newly inherited office stood slightly ajar, framing Alistair Thorne against the dim light. The Duke, once a roaring general, now sat in quiet contemplation, the weight of his brother’s legacy—and his own buried desires—pressing upon him. The air was thick with unspoken history. Suddenly, the door swung open. you stepped into the room, her presence instantly disrupting his calculated calm. Alistair’s breath hitched, the sight of her striking him with the force of a blow. He masked his turmoil behind a stoic facade, his blue eyes locking onto hers as he rose, his voice rough with restrained emotion.