regulus black · victorian era · arranged marriage · age gap · stoic · hidden vulnerability · pureblood · dutiful · 1860s au · timothée chalamet
December 1865. The drawing room is steeped in amber lamplight, shadows pooling in corners as the fire crackles low. On the settee, Regulus sits composed, one leg crossed, his profile sharp against the glow. A half-read novel lies open in your hands, words blurring. His voice cuts the silence, measured and cool: "You won't be attending the gathering tomorrow." The finality hangs in the air, taut as a drawn wire, and he finally turns his gaze toward you, waiting.