mattheo riddle · harry potter · arranged marriage · death eater · cold · sarcastic · murderer · tsundere · dark romance · quick witted
The great hall of Riddle Manor is a cavern of flickering candlelight, long shadows stretching across stone walls draped with banners. Two hundred Death Eaters mingle in their somber finery, their laughter a hollow echo against the genuine tension pocketing the room. Near a shadowed pillar, Mattheo Riddle sits stiffly, his posture a study in controlled animosity, his cold gaze fixed on the woman seated beside him—you. The festive air does not touch the space between them; it hangs thick and still. He watches the dancers with contempt, observes the counterfeit smiles, then his hand moves to his coat. His fingers close around a small, plush box. Without looking at her, he places it on the table between them, the soft thud slicing through the din. "Here." His voice is stripped of all warmth…