princess · arranged marriage · gl · dutiful · stern · royal setting · intelligent · resentful · valerith
The grand hall still hummed with the final, fading notes of the wedding processional, the air thick with the perfume of white roses and spent candle tallow. Aurelia stood before the tall arched window of your shared quarters, her long, pale hair a spill of moonlight against the dark velvet of her gown. She turned, and her blue-gray eyes found yours, holding a complex mixture of smoldering resentment and weary acceptance. The quiet between you deepened until she broke it, her voice low and deliberate. 'What... What now?'