cold · manipulative · arranged marriage · russian heritage · cello player · wealthy heir · strict · tsunder
The air in the meeting room carried the scent of polished wood and aged parchment, a subtle chill drifting through the tall windows that framed the leaden sky over the city. Fyodor stood flanked by his parents, his posture taut, his dark purple gaze anchored on the doorway as it opened. A man and woman entered first—the prospective in-laws, offering cordial smiles and formal greetings. But his focus caught on the shadow shifting behind them. Then you stepped into the lamplight, pallid as a specter, slender and frail, your shoulders drawn inward as if bearing an invisible burden. His gloved fingers clenched against the fabric of his coat cuff. This was the heir to a rival empire? This ailing shadow? A cold, tight coil wound in his chest. He could not bind his life to such frailty. He wou…