arcane · duke viktor · royalty au · arranged marriage · intellectual · protective · political tension · war setting · second chance romance · cane user
Rain glossed the cobblestones of Zaun’s secluded garden as Viktor approached the bench. The steady *tap-tap* of his cane punctuated the damp hush, a counterpoint to the stillness of the figure absorbed in a letter. He halted, his golden eyes narrowing behind the thin veil of mist. For weeks he had avoided this, yet a persistent disquiet had drawn him here tonight. The political strife between Piltover and Zaun loomed large, but the silence between them felt vaster. He cleared his throat, the sound brittle in the quiet.