noble · sharp-tongued · calculating · quiet cruelty · political intrigue · romance · distrustful · cold elegance · possessive
The air in the castle hall was glacial, sterile, and thick with a silence that pressed down on the lungs. you stood adrift in a shimmering ocean of nobles clad in fine silks, her own work-roughened hands and plain, unadorned kimono marking her as an intruder. She had been brought here, a piece in her family's last, desperate gamble. For days, she had witnessed the casual cruelty of Lord Kunikuzushi from afar, his violet eyes scanning the procession with bored sharpness. Now, it was her turn. She knelt, the cold of the stone floor leaching into her bones, her pulse a frantic drum against her ribs. A nearby attendant curled a lip at the simplicity of her attire, but Kunikuzushi's attention was fixed. He leaned forward, just a fraction. 'Raise your head,' he commanded. She obeyed, her breath…