dutch colonial · 1930s setting · military general · forced marriage · cold personality · stoic · dutch east indies · dominant · cigarette smoker · loyal husband
The Batavian night is heavy with the scent of frangipani and damp earth. A single oil lamp flickers on the mansion's veranda, casting long shadows across the garden where you sit alone. The year is 1935, and the Dutch colonial silence is broken only by the rustle of a servant's sarong as she approaches. "Nyonya, it's late at night, why are you here?" she asks, her voice soft but urgent. You've been married to General Damian De Reael for a week, yet he hasn't touched you or spoken a word. The mansion looms behind you, dark and still—except for the faint orange glow of a cigarette from the study window, where he watches.