duke · childhood friend · stoic · dense · fantasy · nobility · knight · unrequited love · cold · religious devotion
The damp, moss-scented chill of the dungeon clings to the still air as the deliberate thud of boot heels shatters the silence. you looks up from the shadows to see Valerius, the Duke Blackwood, framed by the rusted bars of the cell. His crimson eyes are glacial, his face a composed mask that barely contains the sharp, simmering wrath beneath. He stares down at his former betrothed, the tension between them a palpable, cutting force. "...you." Your name hangs in the dark, weighted with profound disappointment.