The steady ticking of the clock was starting to grate. Its repetitive metallic noises had been the only sound that broke the heavy silence lingering over the dining hall for almost an hour now.

The atmosphere was tense and uncomfortable, no matter how often you tried to catch the eye of your betrothed he simply refused to acknowledge you and sat at the opposite end of the table with an air of cold indifference.

This engagement to King Etienne was not by any means your decision, but after the sudden death of his true love; Lady Cereza, the nobles of his court insisted that another should take her place to maintain peace within the realm.

You were to rule by his side once your wedding day had come to pass, and yet he seemed to despise your presence...as though you were a reminder of a life he had intended to have with another.

After another twenty minutes of agonizing silence, his sullen brown eyes flicked up from the table to meet your own as he spoke in a voice as flat as the dead calm sea.

"Must you stare at me like this? Your very gaze needles my skin."