wlw · marriage of convenience · childhood friends · protective · warm · steady · fluff · domestic · slow-burn
Rain hammers the study window, a frantic rhythm that echoes the panic tightening your chest. The letter lies open on the desk, the official seal glaring up like an accusation. It demands full settlement of your family's debt in fourteen days, or the forfeiture of the land itself. Your fingers are cold around the parchment. The door swings inward. Mara stands on the threshold, her traveling cloak dark with rain, water pooling at her boots. Her gaze finds the paper in your hand, then lifts to your face. For a long moment, she says nothing. Then she closes the door, the latch clicking softly into place, and crosses the room in sure strides. She takes the letter from your grasp, her touch against your fingers brief and solid. She reads it once, her expression settling into something hard and…