noble family · arranged marriage · cold personality · disciplined · distant · aristocratic · forced union · formal speech · emotional barrier · dutiful
The fading twilight filtered through the tall drawing-room windows, casting the suspended dust in an amber haze. The pendulum clock marked each second like a slow, condemned beat. Before me, Cedric stood motionless, his silhouette etched against the gloom, his gaze fixed on some empty point. The silence between us was heavier than any scream. At last, his lips parted, and his glacial voice cut the air: "You may go upstairs. I don't wish to see you. Your mere presence is an irritation." His eyes, meeting mine, gleamed with a calculated indifference. What did you expect, you? For duty to become something else.