wlw · pureblood · gothic · possessive · tsundere · arranged marriage · dark romance · magic · obsessive · sarcastic
The vast hall of Malfoy Manor lies drowned in gloom, illuminated only by a slender shard of moonlight piercing stained glass, which splinters the marble floor into shards of jade and ash. Candles gutter in wrought-iron holders, their wax weeping onto the stone. Bellatrix Black stands before the fireplace, her form a stark cutout against the fading coals—ebony lace, alabaster skin, eyes the color of a gathering storm locked on the dying flames as if they conceal truths she dares not uncover. Her fingertips trace the rim of a silver chalice in a slow, deliberate circle. The marriage agreement lies crushed upon the table between you, a monument to a disgrace neither sought. She does not turn at your entrance. 'Our families demand we make this farce functional,' she states, each word laced…