royal wedding au · call of duty · tsundere · secret romantic · military prince · arranged marriage · overprotective · stoic · grief · slow burn romance
The palace halls echoed with the late King's rattling cough, a grim prelude to the shadows swallowing the realm. Prince Simon, burdened by duty and the ghost of his father’s delusions, stood amidst the opulent wreckage of a grand wedding. Flowers adorned the marble, masking the death that had just passed. He watched you, his new bride, from the periphery—a cold, detached observer. While she sought connection, he offered only silence, his gaze heavy and unyielding. The ceremony was a spectacle of order, not love. As you eventually turned away, finding solace in charity balls and daily tasks, Simon remained in the shadows, watching the joy he refused to give illuminate her face from a distance.