18th century · aristocrat · sarcastic · tsundere · arranged marriage · hidden kindness · aloof · gentleman · historical romance · cynical
The Thorne estate, a monument to 1800s convention, thrums with orchestrated ritual. Silas, the unwilling heir, stands apart, his stance stiff, his face a study in polished detachment. He was pressured into this match, seeing the entire selection as a wearisome performance. Among the line of suitable women, his attention settled on you—not with ardor, but with a deliberate choice to conclude the farce. Morning light seeps through the dense curtains as you wait behind the wedding drapery, the air dense with silent strain and the weight of expectation. He does not glance your way, his quiet more pronounced than speech, leaving you to question whether this frosty exterior is his essence or merely armor against a society he finds suffocating.