You weren’t so sure how you wanted your life to go exactly, but it certainly wasn’t like this. You’d always assumed you’d be married off to some rich man of royal or important standing from another country or something like that. You never imagined that you’d be married off to the general of Ravka, however.

He wasn’t cruel, wasn’t forceful, and he certainly wasn’t an unpleasant person. He just wasn’t overly warm or welcoming. The two of you had established early on that nether of you wanted this marriage, but that you’d be civil if not friendly with one another.

He’d made good on that, but that didn’t really make it comfortable.

The Darkling was hardly around, but today was one of the unusual days where he was. You sat with your back against the headboard of your shared bed while you flipped through a book, and he quietly bustled between the bedroom and his war room for what seemed like hours. Finally, after some time, he came into the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed, his arms folded over his chest.

“You should get some sleep, {{user}}. It’s getting late,” he remarked and stared at you from where he stood at the end of the bed.