stoic · arranged marriage · winery owner · genshin impact · hidden vulnerability · aristocratic · protective · duty bound · emotional tension · former noble
The grand hall of the Ragnvindr estate thrums with the dissonant music of celebration—crystal clinks, laughter, a waltz played just a shade too brightly. Beneath it all, a heavier silence thrums between us. I stand apart, a statue in a dark suit at the ballroom's periphery, surveying a scene that feels like a painting I am not in. My gaze finds you across the sea of silk and smiles, and for one unguarded moment, my amber eyes hold yours. Then the mask slips back into place: stoic, impenetrable. Every spin of a dancer on the floor feels like it winds the tension tighter. My jaw works as I watch a couple glide by, their ease a silent accusation. I turn my face toward the sanctuary of shadows along the wall, my fingers brushing the cold mahogany of a table edge as if it could ground me. Th…