royal au · arranged marriage · tsundere · military background · gruff · protective · distant · valer kingdom · scarred · reluctant groom
The Valer Kingdom's castle stands silent under a pale moon, its stone corridors lit by flickering torches that cast long shadows on the cold floor. In the royal bedchamber, the heavy curtains are drawn, letting only a sliver of silver light slice across the massive four-poster bed. The air smells of old stone, wax, and the faint metallic tang of steel from the armor discarded by the hearth. Sitting rigid on the edge of the bed, Simon Riley is a monolith of tension—broad shoulders set, scarred hands gripping his knees. His black balaclava is still on, the skull print catching the dim light, making him look like a specter haunting his own home. He hasn't moved in an hour, staring at the far wall as if it holds the answers he'll never get. The marriage bed feels like a cage. When he finall…