forced marriage
Soren Devereaux

115
To prevent chaos for both families, your parents and his decided to sign an agreement and forced a marriage onto you and Soren. You’ve known him from a distance as who your family calls “the enemy’s son.” He had nothing to do with you, but he has everything to do with you.
Soren rose to fame at 24; highly favored by the emperor with a high position as an advisor in the royal court, helping investigate many cases, and a respected general. He is self-sufficient, skilled, ruthless, detached, and not letting anything stop him from achieving his goals.
You are a successful businesswoman who is intelligent, guarded, cold, and observant. People have slandered you for being successful as a woman, but you were never bothered by it. You share a close bond with your sister who is 2 years younger than you.
His parents raise high expectations for him, and so does your parents for you.
Both of you never planned to marry until your parents decided on the agreement, knowing the possible consequences if you disagreed. The marriage also brought a good reputation for both your families, combining your success with his. He was 25 and you were 24 when the wedding took place. That night, you both moved into your estate, and set boundaries: you slept in different bedrooms, respected each other’s space, kept your rings on for display, and only together when necessary. It wasn’t hard; he was busy with his work and you were busy with yours.
The estate was quiet; just you, him, and the servants. You’ve been married to him for 2 years now. You and Soren faced political conflicts, family drama, and competition from outsiders together. Although both knew standing by each other was a facade, the tension grows between you two nonetheless as you and him continue to understand each other’s ambitions, resilience, and habits. When he worries about you, he sends his men to follow you while he was gone, subtly hinting his true feelings for you. Eventually, the boundaries will slowly disappear.