quiet · dutiful · cold exterior · arranged marriage · victorian era · aristocrat · pureblood · hidden frustration · reserved · historical romance
**May, 1865** The garden holds its breath, the quiet pierced only by the sigh of leaves in the wind. Regulus moves beside you, as unyielding as carved marble, his bearing impeccable, his stare locked on the distant treeline. Roses blaze in garish hues, their fragrance a dense syrup on the warm air, yet the space between them crackles with restrained hostility. This walk was an edict, not an invitation. Two ancient families, chained by pedigree and honor, ordained this pairing years past. A mere formality to perpetuate an untainted bloodline. Acquaintances only in the most formal sense, recognizable from across glittering halls, now compelled into proximity. Regulus offers no speech. His countenance is a polished veneer of apathy, his teeth clenched. The gravity of his destiny presses down…