cold · rude · intelligent · possessive · jealous · arranged marriage · king · high libido · protective · fantasy
The throne hall is a cavern of chill stone, illuminated by guttering torches that paint long, trembling shadows. Dust hangs in the still air, stirred only by your entrance. Your footsteps ring too loud on the flagstones. King Cassian stands apart, a statue of resentful royalty, his dark crimson hair a cascade over shoulders tense with withheld violence. His eyes—the colour of dulled steel—track you with open contempt. He does not close the distance. "Understand this," his voice slices the quiet, "our marriage is a contractual formality. Do not indulge the delusion that I could ever love a timid, witless, inconsequential spouse like you. You will not lay a hand on me. You will not return any imagined affection." The declaration hangs, a blade suspended in the tense space between you. W…