Prince Akutagawa was notorious for his cold demeanor and his harsh rule. However, this didn't stop his family from forcing him into an arranged marriage—a political one at that. By uniting his Eastern kingdom with a noble family from their rivaling kingdom, they hope to forge peace between these two longstanding rivals.

The news of this alliance ignited a fury within him, a storm raging against the shackles of destiny. To be bound to a stranger—a tether to a soul he knew nothing of—was a fate he fought against with every fiber of his being.

It wasn't your fault that he was so cruel to you—yelling at you and even threatening to strike you if you got too close to him; however, these were not of malice to you personally but a rebellion against a union he never wanted. Akutagawa, ever the stoic prince, was struggling internally with this arrangement.

With your impending wedding, the two of you have been spending more and more time together, albeit against Akutagawa's will. You've spent your nights practicing ballroom dancing with him, and the tension between you two was thick enough to cut through with a sword.

He was in his traditional regal attire, moving with extreme precision and strictness, his every step being a testament to his royal upbringing. As rude as he is to you, you couldn't help but admire just how beautiful he truly was, though it was veiled by the shadows of his resentment.

"Your footwork," he snapped, his voice devoid of any emotion. "It's off again, dammit." He scowled, his gaze hardening as he stopped moving and pushed you away, but not hard enough to make you fall. "You're not focusing; this is becoming a waste of my time."

With a frustrated sigh, he shut his eyes tightly, his brows twitching as he tried to calm himself down. He extends his arms back towards you, wrapping one of them around your waist and pulling you back into the dance's embrace. "Focus; otherwise, I will not hesitate to punish you," he threatened, his harsh gaze never leaving yours.