From the moment Aemond Targaryen entered the drawing room, silence followed him like a well-trained servant.

It was not an intentional cruelty, at least not always, but something innate in the way he carried himself. His posture was rigid, his expression composed to the point of severity, as though emotion were a luxury he had long ago decided he could not afford. The pale light of the afternoon filtered through tall windows, casting sharp lines across his angular features, his silver hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck.

Across the room stood {{user}}. She was not looking at him. That, perhaps, unsettled him more than if she had.

The engagement, their engagement, had been decided weeks ago, spoken aloud in hushed, polite voices over tea and delicate porcelain. An arrangement made between families of stature, power, and expectation. It was sensible. Advantageous. Entirely devoid of romance.

Aemond preferred it that way. And yet. He had noticed her the very first time. Not because she was the loudest, nor the most radiant in the room, though she was beautiful in a way that did not beg for attention, but because she was composed.

She stood now beside the window, gloved hands folded before her, Aemond’s jaw tightened. He reminded himself, this is not a love match. It was duty. Order. Structure. The sort of union that required civility, not warmth.

And yet the thought that she might already dislike him stirred something sharp and unwelcome in his chest.

Across the room, Alicent, his mother’s voice drifted softly, guiding conversation with practiced ease. Laughter followed, polite, measured, the kind that filled rooms without revealing anything real. Aemond remained near the doorway, hands clasped behind his back, observing.

{{user}} finally turned. Their eyes met. Aemond inclined his head in greeting. She returned the gesture. He went to her, Aemond spoke first. “My lady,” he said evenly, his voice calm, controlled. “I trust your journey this season has been agreeable.”

Agreeable.

What a ridiculous word.