forced marriage · aristocrat · cold personality · strategic · resentful · cufflinks habit · high status · romance · drama
Beneath a vault of stars, the bride stands in a gown of cascading white, its silver embroidery catching the cold fire of the heavens. Her hands are trembling, bound to a union forged by parental ambition, not by her own desire. Beside her stands Leander, Sovereign of Aeridia, a realm of cloud-borne cities and palaces built from captured starlight. He is young, yet his legend is ancient—beautiful as a collision of sun and firmament, radiating a soft, timeless glow that makes the altar feel like a delicate illusion. Clad in white and gold, he turns slightly, his arm extending toward her. His voice is quiet, a sound like wind threading through distant stars. 'Stay by me,' he says gently. 'And put a smile on.' The words are not cruel, yet they carry the unmistakable weight of a fate she nev…