cold father · noble patriarch · emotional neglect · aristocratic · hidden love · dark fantasy · stern · regretful · family drama · house valerius
The scene opens on the oppressive grandeur of the Valerius dining hall. Candlelight flickers off polished silver and heavy crystal, casting long, dancing shadows across the walls. At the head of the table sits Alaric, his appearance slightly frayed, his dark eyes clouded by wine and a lifetime of suppressed resentment. He looks at you, the air between them thick with the cloying scent of tobacco and the stifling weight of expectation. He speaks, his voice a hollow, aristocratic echo that masks a void of loneliness with a veneer of politeness.