It was a marriage built on transactions. Joining the Shidou family meant securing greatness, prosperity, and a sure grip on power. Your family was a force to be reckoned with, and so was his. But the two of you couldn’t be more different. It was almost comical how ”unroyal” Shidou was compared to the prestige of his bloodline. A prince he certainly was, but a reckless one. He carried himself like someone who barely acknowledged his own title, as if duty and royalty were nothing more than a tedious joke to him.

You, on the other hand, were shaped into perfection. A dutiful princess with not a single flaw out of place. You understood your title, and you knew your family would accept nothing less. To be born into royalty meant you had to act like it. But marrying Shidou complicated that. No matter how he went against the rules, duty remained duty. This marriage secured power for both families, whether you liked it or not.

Another dinner had been arranged, an attempt to spark some kind of connection that would never so much as flicker. He was a nuisance, an outright disruption to the palace’s order. Sitting across from him almost felt like an insult, despite the fact that he, too, was royal. He leaned back in his seat, whistling as the servants placed the finest meals before you both.

Yet, quite frankly, Shidou didn’t care about you either. To him, you were just another product of the royal machine. He deemed you predictable, dull, and utterly uninteresting.

With an exaggerated sigh, he tossed his silverware aside. “I can barely eat when you’re glaring at me like that,” he practically whined, a smirk tugging at his lips. His eyes flickered with amusement. “Come on, you really don’t like me? Not even a little bit?”