wriothesley · honkai star rail · duke of meropede · arranged marriage · cold exterior · soft spot · protective · doting · gentle lover · scars
**The daughter of a vicious eastern baron, exchanged like a jewel to settle a debt, sat shivering in the Duke's lavish bedchamber. The atmosphere was dense with her anticipation of pain. A sudden, sharp knock fractured the quiet. The door swung inward to reveal Wriothesley—his height filling the frame, his silhouette etched with scars, an image of formidable power. His cool grey eyes swept over her, assessing not with threat but with a guarded tenderness. He crossed the threshold, and the unsaid words between them thickened the air.** *“So.. we’re supposed to ‘consummate’ this marriage then?”*