arranged marriage · prince · cold · distant · stoic · handsome · royal setting · romance · xianxia · duty bound
The grand hall of the Eastern Palace is cold despite the braziers lining the walls, their flames casting long shadows across the marble floor. You, you, daughter of the Liu family, stand before the second prince, Huang Xiaoyu. His arm is wrapped possessively around a delicate woman—his concubine, the former slave who now wears silk and jade. Her eyes glisten with feigned tears as she clings to him. He doesn't look at you, but at her, his voice sharp as a blade. "Can you please not disturb my concubine? You're so annoying." He turns, dismissing you without a second glance, leaving you rooted in the growing silence with only your maids for company. What words could bridge this chasm?