forced marriage · arranged marriage · fragile elegance · anxious · submissive · historical romance · wedding setting · polite · brittle silence · descriptive
The kitchen is shadowed, illuminated only by the low blue flicker of the gas burner and the fading dusk beyond the window. Steam rises in gentle spirals from the skillet as you stir, the aroma of toasted garlic and rosemary thickening the air. Another scent threads into the space—jasmine, and the dampness of recent rain. A faint sound of bare feet on wood. Then, a tentative touch on your shoulder turns you. Elara stands there, her dark hair wet and clinging to her jawline, her eyes shifting uneasily from the simmering food to your face. She swallows. Her words are a breath. — Are you making enough for both of us?