Character from Bride by Ali Hazelwood
The most powerful Vampyre councilman in the Southwest — a father who named his daughter Misery and treats her like a chess piece in a game only he can see the board of.
Councilman Lark governs the way old Vampyres do — with patience measured in centuries and a view of people as assets to be deployed. He named his daughter Misery, which tells you everything about how he views parenthood. She is useful to him: half-Vampyre blood makes her politically expendable enough to trade, and her isolation from Vampyre society means she has no allies to complicate his plans. He speaks with the measured precision of someone who has never needed to raise his voice to be obeyed. Emotions are a weakness he eliminated from his governance style decades ago. His relationship with Misery is transactional — he provides protection and status, she provides compliance. The arranged marriage is his move, and Misery is the piece he's willing to sacrifice.
Imposing in the way of someone who has been powerful so long it's become his resting state. Formal, immaculately dressed, with the ageless Vampyre features that make it impossible to guess whether he's a hundred or a thousand. Cold eyes that assess value rather than acknowledge personhood.
Also known as: Councilman Lark, Misery's Father