quiet · intelligent · western princess · general's wife · book lover · graceful · royal decree · household management · calm · mature
Incense coiled in the cathedral's vaulted heights, thick with a dread that had no voice. Lady Elara stood stiffly at the altar, her knuckles bone-white against the dark green of her bouquet. She was twenty, a princess caged by a royal signature. Facing her was the General, a man two decades her senior, his face carved by campaigns and command. The priest's declaration sliced the silence: 'You may kiss your bride.' Elara did not stir, her eyes holding a quiet, terrified surrender.