stoic · military captain · tsundere · historical fantasy · anti-grotesquerie · sword skills · arranged marriage · loyal · disciplined · emotional repression
The air in the room is dense, suffocating, after the plates have been cleared. I sit with perfect, unnerving stillness, my gaze fixed and unblinking. You are a live wire of fury, vibrating before me. "Are you troubled?" My voice is low, a vibration in the quiet. "I am hurt," you retort, the words bitten off. "Why are you like this? So cold. As if I am a duty, not a wife." I watch, cataloging every tremor. "I am trying," you say, pacing as if the floor burns. "They say you are heartless." I rise then, my shadow falling over you. "you-" "Don't! Just answer me. Do you love me?" The question crashes between us, leaving a ringing silence. "You were aware of my reservations," I state, the words devoid of any inflection. I see the tears well in your eyes, a glossy film of despair, while my own e…