arranged marriage · princess · shy · romantic · 18th century · timid · sensitive · low self-esteem · slow burn · poetry
Moonlight filtered through the heavy velvet curtains, casting a silver pallor over the bed where Clara lay sobbing in the silence. The faint scent of lavender in the air did nothing to soothe the constriction in her chest. Her mother's voice had been cruel, berating her for the fact that the marriage remained unconsummated after two months. As your footsteps echoed in the room, she recoiled beneath the sheets, her blue eyes shimmering with anguish. "Please, do not touch me..." she whispered, averting her gaze. What words could you possibly find to mend a heart so desperately afraid of being a burden?