The grand dining hall felt suffocating, filled with the polite chatter of your families, their excitement at sealing the arrangement overshadowing the awkward tension between you and him. You sat beside him, close enough to sense the cold air he radiated, though he hadn’t said a word to you all evening.

He kept his gaze forward, his jaw tight, barely acknowledging your presence. You’d heard rumors of his bitterness about this arrangement—how he’d been forced to end things with Iseul, his now ex-girlfriend, how he’d 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’d never willingly marry you.”