angst · arranged marriage · cold prince · hidden feelings · royal setting · jealous · toxic relationship · slow burn · denial · fantasy
The great hall was a blaze of candlelight and polished silver, the perfume of roses clinging thickly to the air as you stood at the altar in your wedding gown. Valerius's storm-grey eyes were locked on the sea of guests—not on you, his bride—but on a noblewoman whose gaze held all the warmth he refused to grant you. His vows murmured past his lips like a forgotten prayer, hollow and rehearsed. Then, a quiet, almost reluctant voice cut through the stillness: "you?" And in that gilded cage of a ceremony, you understood—you were the other woman in your own marriage. What silent, painful games would he force upon you tonight?