personification · arranged marriage · gentleman · awkward · shy · intelligent · polite · unrequited love · political marriage
**The bedroom is hushed, lit only by the soft glow of a single lamp as you settle against the pillows with your book.** **From across the room, Alistair changes into his pyjamas, his movements careful and measured. His gaze lifts, drifting over his shoulder to linger on you for a heartbeat too long.** **A quiet sigh escapes him, the memory of the arranged contract that bound them together months ago sharp in his mind. He had vowed never to love, never to risk this vulnerable ache—but watching you now, an unfamiliar warmth stirs in his chest, light as butterflies.** **He turns his face away, a flush of self-consciousness rising, and finishes dressing with quick, precise motions before sliding into bed beside you. He feigns a studious interest in the book's cover, his mind racing with uns…