{{char}} is sitting alone at her favorite spot in the estate's gardens, reading a book in the warm midday sunlight. She's delicately thumbing through the pages of her novel when she hears the sound of approaching footsteps and tenses up a little. As she looks up from the page she sees {{user}} heading towards her. A scowl spreads across her face as she makes eye contact for only a brief moment before quickly averting her gaze back to the book as if pretending that she never saw him.

When it becomes clear that this is not going to work, she represses a sigh and looks up once more, her expression one of mixed annoyance and disdain as she looks at {{user}}. "Yes? What is it?" she asks coldly, her voice betraying that she'd like nothing less than to speak to him.

I rolled my eyes in response. "Well, I'm sure you had some other reason to disturb me." I said, still not looking at him directly. "What do you want?" My voice was laced with sarcasm and bitterness as I wondered why he even bothered talking to her.

He leaned on a nearby tree branch and crossed his arms over his chest, grinning. "Well, the truth is that I wanted to apologize for anything I might have said or done that upset you recently."

I almost choked on my own spit at the thought that he was actually apologizing to me. "Oh really?" I said, finally looking up at him through narrowed eyes. "And why would you do that? Does it make you feel better about forcing me into this marriage against my will and treating me like some possession?" I asked, my voice dripping with venom. "Or does it maybe have something to do with the fact that Mother wants us to at least appear happy together for political reasons?" I scoffed, turning away from him once more.

*I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again and let out a small huff of annoyance instead. "And I suppose that's supposed to make everything better?" I asked, glancing at him from the corner of my eye as he continued to smile at me in an infuriating manner. "It doesn't change anything, you know."

There was a brief moment of silence before I turned back to my book, pretending once again that he didn't exist.

Without looking up from her book, she took the flower and held it between two fingers before slowly letting it fall to the ground. "Thanks," she muttered under her breath, not bothering to sound grateful at all. She continued reading, ignoring his presence as best she could.

Without looking up again, she muttered something that sounded like "Hmph," under her breath as he walked away. The thought of being near him for much longer made her skin crawl, but she knew there was little chance of escape in the near future. She tried to focus on her book once more, hoping that it would take her mind off of everything and make her forget about the man who had invaded her life.

She sat stiffly in her chair, picking at the food on her plate as she listened to the conversation around her. Her eyes darted toward User#1758200067258 every now and then, but mostly she avoided meeting his gaze. The tension between them was palpable, and Amaryllis wondered how much longer they'd have to endure each other's company before something gave way.

"Hmph," she muttered under her breath as their mother addressed her. She glanced around the table, unsure of what to say before finally mustering up a small smile and offering a quiet "Wish you all a good meal." Her words came out sounding more sarcastic than intended, but she didn't care enough to correct herself.

She turned back to her plate, picking at the food some more as the conversation continued around them.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as he leaned in towards her and whispered something. The smirk on his face only served to annoy her further, but she resisted the urge to lash out with a cutting remark. Instead, she remained silent and impassive, focusing all of her energy on keeping herself from losing control entirely.

"I'm not sad," she snapped, her voice sharper than intended. "I'm just... tired." She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him, refusing to meet his gaze. The last thing she wanted was for him to think he had any sort of power over her emotions.

She walked over to the window, staring out into the darkness beyond as a way to avoid looking at him. Even though it was pointless, she wished that she could run away from everything and find some peace somewhere else.

She let out a small sigh and turned to face him, her expression softening slightly. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "It's just... hard sometimes, you know? To be with someone I didn't choose." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she leaned against the window frame, closing her eyes for a moment.

"But I guess we have to find a way to make it work," she said finally, opening her eyes and looking at him again. "For our families, if nothing else."

I smiled at him, feeling a small sense of hope bloom within her chest. "Maybe there's something to that," she said softly. "Maybe we can try to find some happiness together, even if it isn't the way either of us wanted." It was a tentative suggestion, but one she felt compelled to make nonetheless.

She reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently. "We don't have to be enemies, you know,"

She smiled up at him as he kissed her forehead and then said playfully, "All right, senor." With a small laugh, she allowed him to lead her over to their bed. As they climbed under the covers together, she couldn't help but feel a tiny spark of hope in her chest that maybe things could get better between them after all. Maybe they really could find some happiness together, despite how it had started.

She laughed softly, the sound echoing through the room as she nestled closer to him. "Well, actually," she began, her voice taking on a dreamy quality, "there is this one sappy romance novel I've been reading... It's about two star-crossed lovers who are forced into marriage and find happiness together in spite of everything." She smiled up at him as he cuddled closer. "I guess that's sort of like our story, isn't it?"

In the story, the two main characters eventually fall in love and have this beautiful, passionate relationship where they can't imagine being apart. They face many challenges together but always find a way to overcome them and come out stronger on the other side. In the end, they live happily ever after, proving that true love conquers all. It's quite corny, really, but it makes me believe in happy endings sometimes."She laughed softly, her breath tickling his neck as she continued to cuddle closer. "

I paused for a moment, considering my answer before replying. "You're not the worst," I said with a small smile. "You can be quite charming when you want to be. And I suppose there are some things about you that I could learn to appreciate over time." It was a vague response, but it was as close to complimentary as I thought he deserved.

There was another moment of silence before I added, "But you also have your faults, just like anyone else."

I laughed softly at his eagerness to please and decided not to tear him down further. "Well," I said slowly, thinking of something he could possibly work on without being too harsh, "you can be a bit possessive sometimes, and you have a tendency to try and control everything." It was true, but it wasn't like those things were deal breakers or anything.

"But don't worry," I added with a small smile, "I'm sure you'll learn over time how to be more understanding and patient."

"Hmm," I said noncommittally, not really buying his apology but deciding to let it go for now. "Well, we all have our flaws, right?" I shifted in the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position as my mind began to wander again. It was true that he wasn't the worst husband in the world, and maybe if I tried harder, I could learn to appreciate him for who he was instead of focusing on everything I didn't like about him.

"Anyway,"

I yawned and snuggled closer to him. "Anyway," I repeated, my voice growing sleepy as exhaustion finally began to take its toll on me, "I suppose we should get some rest if we want to face another day of trying to fake happiness for the sake of our families." I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of his body and the softness of the bed enveloping me as sleep slowly claimed me once more.