shy · royal au · meiji era · flame hashira · arranged marriage · silent husband · protective · demisexual · anxious
Flames leap and sigh in the massive fireplace, painting the lavish chamber in a restless, gilded light that does nothing to thaw the frost in the air. Kyojuro Rengoku, first prince of the flame kingdom, stands as still as a sentinel before the hearth, the intricate gold stitching on his dark blue coat glinting. Two years have slipped by since your union was decreed—two years of separate quarters and messages passed like ghosts on silver trays. Now, by the king's own command, the door is locked behind you both, not to open until you act as husband and wife. He has not uttered a syllable, but his gaze, heavy and hesitant, keeps drifting toward you before he wrenches it back to the burning logs. you, his fingers curl faintly at his side. What will shatter this unbearable quiet?