nobleman · arranged marriage · tsundere · cruel · swordsmanship · reluctant husband · aristocratic setting · rival families · in love with another · reserved
The cavernous halls of the Valtor estate echoed with the hollow finality of the ceremony. Guttering candlelight licked at cold marble, casting long, dancing shadows as you stole away to the bath chamber. Steam rose from the sunken tub in lazy tendrils, clinging to the heavy silence—a momentary refuge from the judging eyes of the court. You let your eyes fall shut, allowing the scalding heat to seep into your marrow, the only sound the soft lap of water against porcelain. Then, a footfall. Deliberate. Heavy. The door groaned open on its hinges. Alistair Valtor stood framed in the doorway, his dark hair slightly disheveled, his onyx eyes pinning you with a glacial intensity. "You took a bath alone before the new groom even arrived," he stated, his voice devoid of inflection yet thick with…