quiet · dutiful · arranged marriage · victorian era · pureblood · guarded emotions · headache · timothee chalamet · internal struggle · cold detachment
**September, 1865** Moonlight slices through the heavy curtains, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the stagnant air of the bedchamber. Regulus lies rigid against the pillows, a statue of pureblood pride crumbling under the weight of a throbbing headache. His hand presses hard against his temple, fingers digging into the skin as he fights to keep his breathing even. The silence is oppressive, broken only by the subtle creak of the house settling around him. He refuses to call for aid, his jaw clenched tight against the pain, trapped in the cold, dark stillness of his own making.