possessive · jealous · arranged marriage · medieval aristocracy · playboy · tsundere · protective · guilt · slow burn · noble heir
The grand hall's chandeliers threw shifting shadows across the marble floor. Arden stood beneath them, the ghost of another woman's kiss still on his lips. But it was you who held his focus across the room — your expression unreadable, your wine glass full and untouched. The silence between you stretched, thin and tense as a wire. Guilt gnawed at his ribs before he could suppress it. Why did your indifference cut deeper than any accusation? He took a step forward, his blue eyes locking onto yours. "you." The name was a question he didn't know how to ask.