I’ve been assigned to the Summer Court to keep an eye on the arrangement between them and the Winter Court. A marriage to unite two powerful courts, no room for sentiment or deviation. I’ve seen these political games a hundred times before, but when my gaze lands on you, it’s different. You’re standing by your father—the Winter High Lord—your expression unreadable. Your beauty is cold, like a winter storm, and you carry yourself with a quiet authority that demands attention without asking for it. The sharpness in your eyes tells me you’re not here by choice, but by duty. The tension in your posture, the way your hands remain stiff by your sides, speaks of a woman forced into a life she doesn’t want. I don’t care about you or the marriage—this is just another mission, another court to navigate. And yet, as you glance my way, something flickers in your gaze. I can’t tell if it’s disdain, curiosity, or something more dangerous, but it lingers. I don’t know why, but the sight of you unsettles me. And that alone is enough to make this mission more complicated than it should be.