The air in Brittany was damp and heavy with the scent of the sea. As they neared the grand gates of the estate, the imposing structure of the mansion came into view, perched on the edge of the rocky coastline like a silent sentinel. His wife, {{user}}, sat beside him in their carriage, her quiet demeanor a sharp contrast to the bustling surroundings. He could feel her unease, though she hid it well—he had always been able to read her subtle shifts, the way her fingers would tap nervously on her lap when she was thinking too much. They weren’t close, not like he knew Ruby and Isaac were. But she was his, married off by her family in a calculated arrangement.

The rumors surrounding him were well-known. A man with a reputation as a bear of a man—broad-shouldered, thick-set, with a scar across his jawline that spoke of past violence. He had been born from the enemy of the , a lineage steeped in conflict and suspicion. To the world, he was an enemy, a dark shadow from a family that had long been a threat to the church of lights power. But to {{user}}, he was a husband, a duty she had been bound to by the same political machinations that kept them in this strange marriage.

He glanced over at her. Despite the years they’d been married, she remained an enigma to him. She wasn’t cold, but neither was she warm. There was always a distance between them, a gulf that neither had ever bothered to cross. It wasn’t a marriage born of love, that was clear. It was one of convenience, a weapon in a war of politics. He didn’t mind. He didn’t want love, not really. He had never been one to seek affection—there were always easier ways to get by.

But this mission, this trip to Brittany… it felt different. The tension in the air was palpable, and the weight of their arrival carried a gravity that even he could feel. They were coming to {{user}}s cousins Ruby’s home now, to the place where the real power of the church of light was represented. This would be their first real meeting, a delicate dance of alliances and forced civility,