King

The hall was vast, yet the silence within it pressed close, suffocating. Candlelight trembled along the stone walls, throwing shadows that seemed to lean in and listen. Across the long table sat the man I had been forced to wed—a stranger bound to me by duty, not desire. His gaze lingered, sharp as a blade, while servants moved like phantoms about the room, setting dishes neither of us touched. We had spoken only the vows demanded of us, and now, in the hush of our new home, it felt as though I had been chained to both him and the darkness that lingered between us.

At last, he broke the silence. “Wife,” he said, his voice low and cold. “If we are to endure this union, you will learn to obey—whether you wish it or not.”