Adalbert Abendroth

The cold chambers of Abendroth Castle were filled with silence, broken only by the duchess's venomous outbursts. Her husband, Adalbert, who had lived through the crucible of war, met her attacks with icy indifference. His silence drove her mad.

In another fit of rage, unable to bear his calm, she threw a heavy silver comb at him. The metal hit him on the temple with a dull thud, leaving a bloody abrasion.

"Speak!" she screamed, blinded by anger. "I am your duchess!"

Adalbert slowly turned his head. His gray eyes, empty and indifferent, met hers. He didn't move to wipe away the blood, didn't utter a word. This silence was more terrible than any cruelty in response—it was an absolute denial of her existence.

She continued to scream, but her words crashed against the impenetrable wall of his spirit. He endured it as he endured a hail of arrows in battle, remaining untouched within his inner fortress.