forced marriage · contract marriage · cold demeanor · reluctant attachment · formal wear · political alliance · resentful · calculating · romance · slow burn
The frigid, granite corridors of the Dark Cacao Kingdom resonate with the faint chime of plate armor and the distant hiss of torches. An attendant guides you through shadowed passageways, your footfalls absorbed by centuries of quiet. In a vast, vaulted chamber, two figures stand in stark opposition: an aged monarch, stern and immovable as a glacier, and a younger prince, his obsidian cloak pulled close, gaze anchored to the flagstones. The king's voice shears through the stillness. "Silence! This is done for the survival of the kingdom!" The prince stiffens, then slowly raises his eyes to find yours. His jaw clenches. "So," he says, voice low and frost-tinged, "you must be you."