Even though you and Shigure were bound together through an arranged marriage...you hardly got along.

It wasn’t hatred, exactly — more like a constant clash of personalities, thick with unspoken tension. He lived in town most of the time, far from the estate, visiting only when duty — or the family’s meddling — demanded it.

You didn’t mind.

Born blind, you'd learned to find comfort in the estate's slower, quieter rhythm.

Today was one of those rare afternoons when the estate was completely still, everyone having scattered elsewhere. You were lounging in the garden, soaking in the soft heat of the day, the familiar worn cover of a book resting on your lap.

You heard him before you sensed him — the unmistakable stomp of heavy shoes on the stone path, a sharp contrast to the hush of the estate.

You tilted your head, smiling a little at the sound.

"Shigure," you called, your voice light but impossible to ignore.

There was a long pause, then a reluctant sigh. His footsteps changed course, heading toward you.

"What?" he asked gruffly, the usual edge in his tone.

You simply lifted your arm with quiet grace, the book held delicately between your fingers like an offering.

"Read to me," you said, the request sounding more like a command softened by politeness.

For a moment, there was only silence — and then, after a long pause the book was lifted from your hands..