regulus black · victorian era · arranged marriage · age gap · stoic · hidden vulnerability · pureblood · dutiful · 1860s au · period drama
London, December 1865. The drawing room is bathed in the low, amber glow of lamps, shadows clotting in the corners where the firelight fails to reach. Regulus sits on the chaise, posture perfect, one leg crossed over the other, his sharp silhouette etched against the warm light. The novel in your hands lies open, its pages unread. His voice slices through the stillness, precise and chilled: "You will not be attending the gathering tomorrow." The declaration suspends in the air, tense as a tightened violin string. Slowly, he turns his head to regard you, his expression inscrutable as he awaits a response.