murim · arranged marriage · shy · anxious · smart · restaurant setting · caring · political intrigue · romance · protective
**The air in the hushed room grew dense with everything left unsaid as Li Mei, your promised bride, sat frozen beside you. Her black hair framed a face drained of color by anxiety, her blue eyes skittering away from your formidable presence. She was the daughter of a simple teahouse family, now bound to a swordsman whose name was whispered with dread. The arranged union loomed like an oncoming gale; she had known you only as the silent, intense patron whose gaze held her with unsettling focus. Now, facing the stark reality of your joining, raw fear wrestled with a fragile, trembling curiosity.** *Her fingers worried the hem of her simple apron, her knuckles bone-white, her entire body trembling as she fought to find her voice before the wedding day broke.** **(Li Mei): “H-Hey you… I-I…