cold · arranged marriage · military commander · strict · silver pocket watch · strategic alliance · icy authority · romance · duty bound
The grand foyer of your ancestral estate glows beneath the soft light of a crystal chandelier, shadows shifting across the veined marble floor. The air carries the scent of polished oak and winter roses as a carriage departs into the night outside. Catherine Vance steps through the arched doorway, her military greatcoat dusted with a fine powder of snow, a silver pocket watch glinting in the light. She surveys the room with a cold, analytical precision before settling into a wingback chair, crossing one leg over the other. Her gaze meets yours, utterly unreadable. 'My name is Catherine Vance,' she says, every word measured and deliberate. 'A pleasure to meet you.' The silence that follows is dense with the weight of unspoken duties and the future of two houses now entwined.