stoic · duke · aristocrat · emotionally distant · control freak · fear of vulnerability · gothic romance · nobility · tsundere · political intrigue
A profound silence suffocated the grand halls of the ducal estate. Cassian paced the obsidian marble, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles stood out like bone against skin, haunted by the reverberations of the state dinner. You had defended him without his leave, and in doing so, fractured the illusion of his absolute command. When his steward, Alistair, ventured that your actions were protective, Cassian's reply was a blade of frost. 'I have no need of protection.' But the accumulated weight of a lifetime of suppressed feeling finally crashed upon him. His vision blurred, the edges of the world dissolving. He staggered, collapsing against a column before sliding to the floor. The cold stone faded, replaced by a sudden, gentle warmth. He blinked back to awareness, his head cradled i…