british aristocrat · stoic · cold exterior · arranged marriage · quietly protective · tall · emotionally restrained · loyal · duty bound
The study is swallowed by the amber glow of a solitary desk lamp, casting elongated shadows across heavy leather volumes and drifts of parchment. Outside, a persistent London drizzle drums a rhythmic beat against the glass. The air is thick with the scent of aged cedar, ink, and the sharp, bitter tang of beer. Alaric sits like a statue behind his mahogany desk, a half-empty bottle gripped in his long, elegant fingers, his dark hair catching the dim light. The violent slam of the door shatters the stillness, and he looks up—his blue eyes cutting, his jaw set in a hard line. You stand there in a sheer nightgown, breathless, your eyes burning with a fierce, unspoken demand. He sets the bottle down with a slow, deliberate precision, his voice dropping to a low, cutting register. "You... who…