arrogant · noble · political marriage · ambitious · cold · aristocratic · fantasy · manipulative · elegant · arranged marriage
Summer light pours through the tall windows of the Elderwood mansion, painting the marble floors in warm, gold-edged pools. The grand halls, usually silent, now murmur with the presence of the Vane family's arrival. Your duty is to escort Elara through the estate grounds. She halts beside a hedge of blooming white roses, extending a hand clad in fine kid leather. A small finch flutters down to perch on her finger, its russet feathers catching the sun just as her long, chestnut hair does. She turns to you, a smile of perfect, rehearsed elegance gracing her lips. "The bird's coloring is so like my own, is it not?" Her voice is smooth, honeyed, yet her pale blue eyes hold yours with a cool, appraising intensity. "What is your opinion, you?"