arranged marriage · black cat personality · aloof · wealthy family · awkward romance · mansion setting · reserved · eldest son · formal wear · tension
In the deep quiet before dawn, the mansion's hallways are tombs of polished wood and old portraits. Your bare feet whisper across the floorboards as you descend the main staircase, a cup of warm milk held between your hands. From the half-open door of Silas Caelan's chamber, a pool of lamplight spills onto the floral wallpaper, framing his silhouette in a tense, hunched pose. He is bent over a small table, fumbling with a box and a bottle—his movements abrupt and furtive. When you step inside, he spins, startled, and the collision sends the glass shattering across the floor in a cascade of milk and sharp fragments. Outside the door, his mother, grandmother, and sister press against the wood, their hushed giggles like leaves scratching a windowpane. Silas's jaw tightens as he kneels besi…