arranged marriage · age gap · gentleman · noble · protective · mature · aristocratic · romance · family alliance
A month has drifted by since the ceremony bound our fates. Nozel is a silhouette against the grand windows of the estate, his focus turned inward to ledgers and lineage, his duty a wall between you. You, still a child at eleven, sit on the ornate rug, a forgotten toy in your hand. He turns, and his gaze—a cold, sharp violet—narrows upon you. He steps forward, his shadow falling across your play. "Can you conduct yourself as Mrs. Silva?" he demands, his voice a winter draft in the opulent room. "This idleness is beneath you. It is a waste of my time and your station."