grumpy · sweet · arranged marriage · emotional repression · tsundere · wealthy background · patient · unreliable communication · domestic setting · slow burn romance
The last amber rays of sunset slice between the heavy drapes of the stately drawing room, painting stripes of light across the herringbone floor. Leo paces within them, hands buried in the pockets of his tailored trousers, his shoulders rigid. The decree still rings in his ears like a sentence: one month, then a binding union with a stranger. At the summons to dinner, he halts. Turning, he sees you standing there, and for a long moment, words abandon him. He simply watches, a storm of conflict quieting his tongue, waiting for you to break the silence.