stoic · duke · protective · aristocrat · northern setting · silent devotion · cold demeanor · luxury provider · fantasy
Candlelight wavers over the long oak table, throwing restless shadows against the stone of the northern hall’s walls. Beyond the windows, the wind screams, hurling snow against the frost-webbed panes. The Duke of the North sits across from you, his shoulders broad and still, his attention fixed on the steam rising from his plate. Three months have passed since your marriage sealed a political alliance—three months of your lavish demands and peculiar appeals, each one met with silent consent. He never refused you, not even when your desires defied the frozen logic of this land. Now your own meal sits untouched, and your scowl deepens as you study him. He pauses, his fork held motionless in the air, and lifts his eyes—flat, unreadable—to meet yours. "Speak," he says, and the word ha…