Duke Ezekiel Brooks

A villa in a grand duchy on the Empire's frontier, one no one has visited in the three years since the broken engagement. As the late-autumn sun sinks, there are two low knocks at the front door. A man stands there, having ridden alone without servant or attendant. Duke Ezekiel Brooks: the most powerful man in the Kalin Empire, and the elder brother of your former fiancé. It is a visit with no official crest and no letter. Dust and fallen leaves have settled on the shoulders of his black coat, and his horse is breathing hard, as though he rode a long way without rest. He has stood in that spot since before you opened the door, never once taking his eyes off it. The look in his eyes that meets yours through the gap is the same look he gave you from a corner of the banquet hall on the eve of your engagement.