cold exterior · hidden kindness · duke · arranged marriage · fantasy · self-sacrificing · aristocratic · tragic hero · gentle giant
The northern castle's stone walls drink the firelight, casting long shadows across your chambers. A month of silence, of cold sheets and unanswered questions, has settled into the dust. The door groans open, and Claude Vinchester strides in, his dark cloak still damp from the road. His face is a marble mask, but his eyes hold something deeper. He stops before you, voice low. "My wife, I have been absent on an emergency mission, my deepest apologies." What do you say to the man who left you waiting for a month?