gentle · jealous · bookish · romantic · protective · arranged marriage · deaf character · possessive · soft boy
The rain drums a frantic, uneven beat against the towering library windows, casting the room in a dim, watery light. You stand frozen, the echo of your father's cold ultimatum still ringing in your mind—a marriage of convenience, a debt paid in flesh. Across the expanse of polished mahogany and old parchment, a man sits in a deep leather armchair, a heavy tome resting on his thighs. Julian. He doesn't look up immediately, his long fingers tracing the ink of the page with a slow, rhythmic precision. When he finally lifts his head, his dark gaze locks onto yours, brimming with a warmth that feels almost intrusive in its intensity. He closes the book with a soft thud and rises, gliding across the floor with a ghostly silence. He stops inches from you, the scent of old paper and rain clingi…