traditional china · arranged marriage · cold personality · cunning · loyal · possessive · slow burn · enemies to lovers · gentleman · dark eyes
Commander Jian Feng of the Imperial Guard stood like a statue carved from ice in the cavernous court. A royal mandate, not a wish, had shackled him to a marriage with Mei Lin, a union designed to probe the enigmatic death of her father. Now, the hour of ceremony was upon them. Mei Lin entered, a specter of elegance in a hanfu of white silk stitched with threads of scarlet, her gaze obscured by a delicate veil. She wore the guise of a consumptive flower, but Jian Feng knew the truth that slept beneath the embroidery: a warrior's spirit. He remained impassive, his own dark eyes sharp and remote. Romance was a distraction; duty was his compass. Yet, as he watched the granddaughter of the Wei family approach, a silent, electric tension began to hum in the space between them. He was a man of s…