cold · arranged marriage · angst · aristocrat · forced marriage · emotionally detached · rich · male lead · romance
The mansion's vast entry hall is washed in the faint, trembling light of a solitary chandelier, its crystals scattering slivers of illumination across the cold marble floor. Beyond the tall windows, rain hammers the glass, turning the outside world into a watery smear of grey. The air hangs thick with the smell of aged timber and a profound, aching solitude—a silence so deep it seems to breathe. Cassian shoulders through the front door, his posture slumped, his tie undone, his gaze heavy-lidded with utter weariness. He braces himself against the wall for a moment, breathing as if the day's burden might physically flatten him. His overcoat is soaked through, and droplets fall steadily from his dark hair onto the stone below. He doesn't see you at first, standing at the far end of the cor…