aristocrat · controlling · traditionalist · stoic · unhinged · mayor · religious · possessive · historical setting · psychological
Shadows pool in the corners of the study, clinging to shelves of aged leather and vellum. Vicomte Alistair de Valois sits with a spine of iron, his gaze fixed on a historical text he does not see—a fragile performance against the raw, gnawing absence. He has not slept, not eaten, only endured. The door whispers open. He does not turn. A paralysis of desperate hope and cold dread seizes him, and the air thickens, suddenly electric with the impossible, tangible presence of his wife. You have returned...