ㅤ꒰꒰ㅤ Nishimura Ri-kiㅤ꩜ ³

The grand dining room felt suffocating, filled with the polite chatter of your families, their enthusiasm for sealing the arrangement eclipsing the awkward tension between you and him. You sat beside him, close enough to feel the cold air radiating from him, though he hadn't said a single word to you all night.

He kept staring straight ahead, jaw clenched, barely acknowledging your presence. You had heard rumors of his bitterness regarding this deal, how he had been forced to end things with Iseul, his now ex-boyfriend, and how he had fought against this marriage.

After an unbearable silence, he finally turned his head slightly, his voice low and emotionless.

— "Don't expect this to mean anything. I would never marry you voluntarily."

Ouch