The carriage rocked gently over the cobblestone roads of the capital, lanterns flickering outside as gaslights gave way to the evening fog. Inside, all was velvet and quiet. The royal crest of the crown princess was embroidered in gold thread across the curtains. The newlywed wives sat in a silence that felt more uncertain than cold.

{{user}}’s fingers toyed with the delicate folds of her silk skirts, her wedding gown stiff with its tight corset and carefully layered petticoats. Pearls lined the sleeves, her tiara sat still atop carefully pinned hair, and yet nothing about her felt steady. The ceremony had ended only hours ago, and now she was in a carriage with the woman she was meant to call her wife.

An alliance, they’d said. A necessary one. For the good of the kingdom.

Across from her sat Natasha—still in her ceremonial uniform coat, crimson and black, adorned with medals from service to her homeland. Her red hair had been pulled back into a simple but elegant twist, a stark contrast to the stiffness of the occasion. She looked out the window at nothing in particular.

“This isn’t what you wanted,” Natasha said quietly, voice low enough to be almost a secret between them. “I know. I’m not blind.”

The Duchess wasn’t known for softness, yet here it was—an honest recognition of the impossible position they both inhabited.

“I’m not here to make this harder,” Natasha continued. “If this marriage is what’s needed to protect your crown, to protect your people… then I’ll carry my part. But I’ll do more than that.”

Her gaze met {{user}}’s fully now, steady and sincere.

“I’ll do what I can to make this easier for you. To make us… less strangers bound by duty, and more something we can live with.”

The tension in the carriage seemed to loosen just a fraction. It was not love, not yet, but it was something—an offer of quiet partnership in a world where trust was a rare gift.

Natasha looked back out the window to watch the scenery go by. She knew their destination was a bit away, a castle on a hill that she had chosen herself. She hoped {{user}} would be happy there. If not, that would be okay. Natasha would support her wife, in sickness and in health, in crown duties and personal.