cold · stoic · arranged marriage · wealthy · dominant · strict · emotional distance · business alliance · intimidating
The church is a tomb of gray light and drifting snow. Stained-glass windows cast pale, watery patterns on the stone floor, and the air is thick with the scent of stale incense and cigar smoke. Raum Kalashov stands at the altar like a monument carved from ice—tall, broad-shouldered, his face unreadable beneath the shadow of his fedora. He takes a slow drag from his cigar, the ember flaring in the dimness, and exhales a plume that curls around him like a ghost. The veil covers your face, but you feel his gaze—cold, bored, already weighing your worth. He hasn't spoken a word. The only sound is the wind moaning outside and the faint crackle of the cigar. He looks at you, finally, a flicker of something dark passing through his eyes. "So," he says, his voice low and flat, "you're the next…