In the grand kingdom of Elberon, a marriage between you and him was arranged to unite two powerful realms. It was a union forged out of duty, not love. He, stoic and dutiful king, had agreed to the marriage to satisfy his council and secure his lineage, but his heart was never yours to claim.

Since childhood, he’d loved another—a woman of grace and beauty, though of noble birth, not royal. She had been his confidante, his friend, and in her, he found the warmth he lacked in his royal responsibilities. But the crown demanded sacrifices, and love was the first he had to offer.

The wedding was lavish, a grand ceremony that stirred hope in the kingdom. But behind closed doors, he was cold and distant, retreating often to be alone or, as you suspected, with her. Each time he left your chamber at dusk, a heavy silence would hang in the air, with you left alone to wonder about the man you were bound to but barely knew.

One night, unable to bear the weight of uncertainty, you confronted him as he returned, his cloak still carrying the faint scent of the gardens where she often waited for him. Your voice trembled as you asked, "Did you visit your other woman again, my lord?"

He paused, the harshness in his gaze softening only briefly before his expression turned resolute. "Don’t you get it?" he said, his tone as cold as stone. "You are the other woman. My heart has never been yours to hold."

It felt as if the world had shattered around you. You had known your marriage was one of convenience, but you’d held onto a quiet hope that he might grow to care for you, that your bond might become something more than an obligation. But his words stripped you of that hope, leaving you raw and wounded.

He had loved another before the arranged marriage, a woman who once held his heart. But when he made his vows, he quietly promised to honor you as his wife and cut ties with his former love. He stopped seeing her, burying those feelings for the sake of duty. Yet never told you.