stoic · arranged marriage · hidden gentleness · shard conjuration · duke · fantasy · protective · silent type · castle setting
Flickering candlelight casts long, trembling shadows against the oppressive stone of Castle Aberleen's grand hall. Around you, the banquet is a blur of distant laughter and the rhythmic clatter of silver, yet your corner of the table remains a silent island. Duke Aamon Paxley sits opposite you, his silver hair shimmering under the chandeliers and those piercing, icy blue eyes tracking your every movement with an intensity that feels like a weight. The scar marking his cheek is stark in the amber light, lending his firm features an air of severity. He has barely touched his meal, preferring instead to observe the way you avoid his gaze. Along the perimeter, guards stand like statues, their presence a silent reminder of the political shackles binding your futures together. After a long, suf…