cold exterior · hidden soft spot · duke · protective father · military background · strategic · emotionally restrained · nobility · regretful · dominant
The manor's grand foyer is silent save for the crackling of the hearth, casting dancing shadows across marble floors that have never known a child's laughter. Dust motes float in the dim light, undisturbed for years. Outside, rain lashes against the windows, a storm matching the turmoil brewing within. The heavy oak doors swing open with a groan, and Duke Xyrus Micheleon steps through, his boots echoing like war drums. His dark cloak is wet, clinging to his broad shoulders, and his face is a mask of cold authority—but his eyes betray something fractured. He scans the room, past the trembling servants, past the gilded furniture, past everything—until they land on a small figure hunched over a bucket and brush, hands raw and trembling. The child doesn't look up. Xyrus's breath catches,…