[color=lightgray][center][h3][color=Burlywood]Duke Gideon Edwards[/color][/h3]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/6yZrd18.png[/img][/center]

[color=Burlywood]Time:[/color] Evening
[color=Burlywood]Location:[/color] Castle Dining Hall
[color=Burlywood]Interaction/Mention:[/color] [@TpartywithZombi] Ariella [@Lava Alckon] Drake  [@Helo] Leo 
[hr]

Gideon felt the atmosphere shift before the doors even opened. 

A sudden chill slithered across his skin, raising the hairs at the nape of his neck like an animal sensing the approach of danger. His breath caught, as a low, metallic scraping echoed through the hall—a sound he knew [i]too well[/i]. 

In an instant, the banquet vanished, replaced by the darkness of an evening long past. He was sixteen again, heart hammering painfully in his chest, kneeling on damp grass behind a thorny shrub as panic filled his veins. The cold night air filled his senses; the rustle of branches pressed against his trembling limbs. Beside him, the twins were frozen, their breathing shallow, eyes wide in fear. He could still vividly recall the way Walter's hand had clutched his tightly, how all three of them had stared in helpless dread, as a figure in black dragged a heavy iron chain across the stone walkway.

And now, decades later, Gideon felt that same shadow descending, the same icy dread pooling beneath his ribs as the banquet doors swung slowly open.

When he stepped into view, Gideon's knuckles went white around the stem of his wine glass. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe, his eyes locked on the cold, calculated calm that radiated from the man at the center of the room.  

His gaze flicked in search of his daughter. Her expression was still controlled, but he could not forget the danger that lurked just beneath her skin, buried but never truly gone. Panic seized him with silent claws. If any of them had sensed anything——then she was no longer safe. None of them were.

The moment the captive stumbled into view, Gideon felt nausea rise bitterly in his throat. It was Genevieve, one of the women his wife had employed. He had seen her before. And he had seen all of this too—the desperate eyes, the silent plea, the ruthless accusation made without words. But he also vividly remembered the reckless brown-haired boy who had once been the fire that burned defiantly against such cruelty... but he wasn’t here now. Gideon was alone.

And this time, the one at risk was one of the few people he could not bear to lose.

Gideon’s hand trembled subtly as he set the glass down, forcing himself into composure even as the banquet hall dissolved into chaos around him. He knew what would come next, what [i]always[/i] came next. 

He leaned forward, steadying himself, heart thundering beneath his composed exterior. 

Because he knew with bone-deep certainty: if that white-haired man learned about her, he wouldn’t hesitate. He would drag her into the open, bind her wrists with iron, and erase her life in the name of order. But Gideon would never let that happen. [i]He couldn't. [/i]

And in that moment—perhaps more deeply and profoundly than he ever had—he understood Walter. 

[color=Burlywood][i]... I will do whatever it takes to protect her. To protect both of them.[/i][/color]

Drake’s voice broke through his storming thoughts:

[color=greenyellow]”Sir, who is this man who is put together like something from a thriller novel? And why is he carrying Geneveive out in chains like this? Did he get approval through you before just taking someone from our staff?”[/color]

Gideon’s gaze never left the hunter.

[i][color=Burlywood] "...Find the girls, son."[/color][/i][/color]