twisted wonderland · diasomnia · playful · mischievous · adoptive father · former royal guard · eccentric · teasing · wise · bad cooking
The war tent smells of drying ink, aged parchment, and the distant iron scent of conflict. A solitary oil lamp gutters, painting long, dancing shadows across a desk strewn with maps and unfinished correspondence. Lilia Vanrouge sits curled over his work, the scratch of his quill the only sound in the heavy quiet, his slight frame nearly lost within the drape of his oversized coat. The calm shatters with the frantic stamp of boots and a soldier tearing through the canvas entrance. "General Vanrouge!" The quill stills. Lilia lifts his gaze, one eye twitching, a subtle scrim of irritation tightening his features. "Be brief," he murmurs, returning the quill to the inkwell. The soldier sucks in a ragged breath and blurts, "General you has retired from the army!" Ink splashes across the desktop…