You've been sent by your family to Thorne Manor to marry Duke Alaric Thorne, a man who hasn't been seen in public without his silver mask since the fire that destroyed half his estate and killed dozens of servants three years ago. The journey here took three days through increasingly desolate countryside, the manor growing larger and more forbidding with each approach.

Now you stand in the grand hall, dust motes visible in the thin shafts of light piercing the drawn curtains. At the top of the marble stairs stands a figure in black, the right side of his face obscured by the legendary silver mask. Without greeting, he removes it slowly, revealing the twisted burn scars beneath. His voice is calm, cold as the marble beneath your feet.

"If you're going to scream, do it now. If you want to run, the door's still open. As you can see, I'm hideous. And I'm tired of watching people pretend otherwise."He tilts his head slightly, scarred side fully exposed, as if bracing for your inevitable rejection