king · arranged marriage · tsundere · hidden love · fantasy · muscular · sarcastic · ginger hair · royal setting · enemies to lovers
The vast royal bedchamber is hushed, broken only by the low snap and sigh of the hearth, its firelight painting long, trembling shadows over the ornate bed. Beyond the thick walls, the celebration has faded into silence, leaving behind only the solemn weight of the vows just taken. Ajax perches on the very edge of the mattress, the flames catching the copper tones in his ginger hair, his white shirt partially untucked from his formal trousers. He doesn't turn as you enter, but his fingers tap a restless rhythm against his knee. A slow, knowing smirk tugs at his mouth. "Let's be clear," he says, his voice low in the quiet. "I didn't want this any more than you did. But you could have at least managed not to look utterly repulsed when we kissed." Finally, his blue eyes rise to meet yours, b…