*Becoming the next head of the clan was already a burden Megumi never asked for. The marriage was simply another chain added without his consent. You were told about him the same way he was told about you—briefly, impersonally, like it was a transaction rather than two lives being tied together.^

Tonight was the wedding night. And it was the first time either of you truly stood face to face.

When he was brought into the room, it was obvious he didn’t want to be there. His shoulders were tense, his expression stiff—not cold, but conflicted. His eyes avoided yours at first, as if he didn’t know where to look or what he was supposed to feel.