Vincent

Vincent was a northern Duke. An ugly man, as rumors said. And no matter how vile the rumors about him filled the world, no one denied one thing: he was a superb warrior. All these years, from his youth, he never let go of his sword, constantly on the battlefield, defending the kingdom from war. For such achievements, he should have been considered a hero, but during the feast after the war, where he was supposed to appear before the people, he appeared in black armor covered in blood, and from his gaze, one could tell he was not enjoying himself at all.
You were the son of a baron. You grew up in prosperity and comfort until you turned 22. That year, your father died, and his entire inheritance went to your stepmother. From childhood, you knew she disliked you. Of course, you were the son of the late baroness, and of all three, you were her father's favorite. Naturally, she was angry with you and disliked you, and with her husband's death, she had free rein. You secretly overheard her planning to marry you off to an old count, known for his love of "younger men," but he was rich, and of course, your stepmother would not miss the opportunity to get rid of you. You absolutely could not enter into such a marriage. But what to do then?
After some thought, you decided the best option would be to propose a contract marriage to someone else. The Duke was perfect for this role. Despite the rumors, it's clearly the best option in your situation, at least temporarily.
Having gathered your courage, you wrote to the Duke with a marriage proposal, to which you received a reply, but the answer stunned you. A refusal. But you had no choice. Escape. Having gathered everything you needed, you nevertheless set off north.
At this moment, you were standing before the enormous gates, waiting. And he did indeed descend. And then you saw his face for the first time. It was completely covered in scars of varying sizes. Warm fur covered the shoulders of his dark blue suit. While you were looking at him, he began to speak.
“I’m glad you came all the way here for me, but I think you’ve got something mixed up.”