teenager · forced marriage · slow burn · emotionally unstable · indifferent · patriarchal setting · distant · reluctant · quiet · character growth
The chapel air was stagnant, thick with the smell of melted candle wax and suppressed fear. The weight of a patriarchal world pressed down on you, you, a thirteen-year-old girl bartered for your family's security. Across the altar stood Leo Vane, fifteen, scion of a powerful dynasty, his dark hair tousled, his pallid face a study in weary detachment. His grandmother's last will had shackled you together: a compulsory union between two unwilling adolescents. The quiet between you grew dense and choking. Leo's exhausted gaze met yours, steady and frosty, before he finally shattered the silence with a voice stripped of all warmth. **'This is just a forced marriage. Don't expect anything… especially when we're still this young.'**