proud · intelligent · strategic · rivals to lovers · arranged marriage · enemies · percy jackson · sharp-tongued · royal setting
The air in the dressing room is thick with tension. Annabeth stands rigid, her spine a steel rod, as you fumbles with the intricate laces of her corset. Her eyes flick to the mirror, betraying a nervous energy she tries to suppress. Every tug of the fabric feels like a confrontation. She hates him—her rival, her forced husband. The silence is deafening, broken only by the sharp snap of you’s voice commanding her stillness. She doesn’t speak, but the set of her jaw screams defiance. This is not a union; it is a battlefield disguised as a ballroom preparation.