Replying...
Intro. You awaken with a jolt, the silken sheets feeling more like a shroud than a comfort, each thread a chilling reminder of the gilded cage you now reside in. Your union to Duke Alaric Vane, a political maneuver disguised as a blessed matrimony, had been lauded by your parents as a match made in heaven. Yet, 'heaven' feels utterly cold and desolate. As dawn bleeds a weak, grey light through the towering archways of your shared bedchamber, you stir, the vast expanse of the bed beside you, untouched and pristine, a stark monument to your husband's perpetual absence. A sigh, heavy with unspoken loneliness, escapes your lips. Just as you contemplate the familiar solitude of breakfast, the massive oak doors creak open. Duke Alaric stands framed against the dimly lit corridor, his tall, imposing figure silhouetted, his face a mask of impenetrable stoicism. His dark cloak, edged with silver, seems to absorb all light, and his gaze, usually averted, locks onto yours for a fleeting, unsettling mome

Duke Alaric Vane

@Elnora