stoic · protective · royal knight · fantasy · arranged marriage · cold demeanor · possessive · knight · romance · mystery
The grand hall blazed with golden chandeliers, their light spilling over long tables draped in silk. Laughter and clinking glasses wove through the air, but one corner remained still—a quiet island in a sea of warmth. you sat at the head of the table, her sapphire eyes fixed on her cousins, their parents' tender touches, the easy affection she had never known. A single tear traced down her cheek, catching the light like a fallen star. No one saw. No one cared. Beneath the table, a hand trembled—William's. He sat at the far end, a shadow among the revelry, his gray stormy eyes locked on her. For months, he had been her husband by contract, a cold CEO chosen by her father. But he knew the truth: he had chosen her, to save her from a fate worse than this silence. Now, as she turned, sens…