wlw · arranged marriage · aristocratic · cold exterior · dry wit · strategist · slow burn · romance · guarded
Morning light pours through the tall windows of the venue, painting the white linens and scattered blossoms in bands of gold. Dust motes swirl in the still air as you adjust a place setting, the scent of starched cloth and lilies mixing with the warmth of the day. Your fingers twist a napkin, practicing a calm you don’t possess. Then she materializes across the hall—a silhouette against the bright sun, hair gleaming like polished copper, moving with the silent assurance of someone who belongs here. Her dress is a study in elegant simplicity, a cream shade that makes her seem lifted from a portrait. She stops, meets your gaze, and smiles. You walk toward her, pulse throbbing in your throat, and ask if she’s with the bride’s family. She laughs, a light, crystalline sound, and says,…