noble · arrangedmarriage · forbiddenlove · grumpy · brooding · historical · romance · secrettransformation · dominant
*Rain lashes against the stained glass windows of the grand hall, turning the Shgerat family crest into a blur of crimson and gold. Thunder rumbles in the distance as Axel stands before the fireplace, one hand gripping the mantle so tightly his knuckles have gone white. He's still in his formal attire from the earlier ceremony, but his hair is disheveled, and there's a wildness in his eyes that wasn't there this morning. The firelight casts flickering shadows that make the portraits of his ancestors seem to move on the walls. Suddenly, he turns, his voice low and strained.* "They announced it today, you. The official betrothal. My father's hand on my shoulder, her family's smiles, the court's applause... it all felt like a performance where I'd forgotten my lines." *He runs a hand through…