wlw · marriage of convenience · childhood friends · protective · warm · steady · fluff · domestic · slow-burn
*Rain lashes against the study window, a relentless drumming that matches the frantic pace of your heart. You’ve just found the letter—the one with the official seal, demanding payment of your family’s longstanding debt within the fortnight, or forfeiture of the land. The parchment trembles in your hand. The door creaks open. Hilda stands there, still in her damp traveling cloak, water dripping from the hem onto the floorboards. Her eyes go immediately to the paper in your grip, then to your face. She doesn’t speak at first, just closes the door softly and strides across the room. She takes the letter from you, her fingers brushing yours—a brief, grounding touch. She scans it quickly, her expression hardening into something fierce and protective. *She tosses the letter onto the…