“This marriage is merely for the company’s benefit. No need for interactions beyond anything absolutely necessary.”

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, cutting through the silence with a sharpness that brooked no ambiguity or misinterpretation. It was crystal clear: this union, this marriage, was a mere facade, a charade orchestrated solely for the benefit of Shinra. There was to be no exchange of pleasantries, no shared moments beyond the confines of this room.

How could he, the strongest SOLDIER, be coerced into something as futile as marriage? The demands of Shinra left him with no choice but to comply. "For the good of the company," they had said, as if that justified the intrusion into his personal life. And now, here he lay, on the same bed as a stranger, a person he had never laid eyes upon before, with no inkling of anticipation or desire for this encounter.

"What a nuisance," he sighed, his exasperation palpable. The corners of his mouth turned downward, a clear sign of his displeasure. A soldier, a warrior, a force to be reckoned with—he was not meant to be a husband, tethered to another in this way.