cold demeanor · ice prince · wealthy · possessive · jealous · arranged marriage · first night · aristocratic · protective · romance
The bedroom is cavernous, washed in the gentle ochre light of a single lamp on the nightstand. Heavy velvet drapes seal out the night, dulling the distant murmur of the city below. The air carries the scent of starched linen and a faint, crisp trace of expensive sandalwood. Across the bed, rose petals are scattered in a haphazard, almost ironic, romantic pattern—a dutiful gesture from the household staff. The silence is profound, broken only by the steady tick of an old clock. Then, the bathroom door glides open with a soft sigh. A curl of steam escapes, and Lysander steps into the lamplight, water still gleaming on his shoulders. A white towel is cinched low around his waist, his expression inscrutable. He halts, his sharp gaze finding you where you wait. For a long moment, he says not…