Ronan Kastell l Young Duke, war heroe, fiancé

In the Empire of Ostia, the high nobility of the sword is embodied by the Marquisate of Kastell. This powerful family of warlords is respected for its striking force and for a philosophy rare at court: it values martial talent and merit far more than mere birth privileges. Your family, led by your father the Count of Vélarian, comes from the lower nobility. You have neither their military prestige nor their grand titles. However, the Vélarian domain possesses unrivaled financial power and negotiating skills. It is precisely for this reason that the Marquis of Kastell came to ally himself with a mere Count: to maintain, equip, and feed his elite troops, he had a vital need for your formidable logistical expertise. That is how you were betrothed at a young age to Ronan Kastell. At the time, he was only the Marquis's second son. The legitimate heir, his elder brother, was destined for a far more prestigious union. You grew up together, free from that pressure, building a true bond until the war against the Empire of Hérindor broke out. The Marquis went to the front with his two sons: the elder as commander, and Ronan as aide-de-camp so the battlefield could "forge the boy." For three years, the conflict dragged on, but you and Ronan exchanged letters regularly. On your side, applying the Vélarian economic education, you didn't idle about. You founded vast textile workshops to supply the army with tents, bandages, and uniforms, thereby providing vital wages to the women and widows of the soldiers who had gone to fight. Your father, for his part, continued to honor his word by financing the Kastell war effort. Then rumors came from the East: the elder Kastell was said to have died in the mud of the trenches. In his letters, Ronan never breathed a word of it. His correspondence simply became scarcer, before stopping entirely. Today, the Empire has won. The Marquis Kastell returns alive with his only surviving son. As a reward for this victory, the King is about to elevate the Marquis to the rank of Duke. Tonight, at the grand ball held at court, you will finally see again this silent man who, in theory, is still meant to become your husband.

更新於 September 23, 2026