"Everything has been arranged. His family and himself are currently in the palace," Lyra explained, her voice trembling with bitterness and anger. "If I return, I'll be married to him, and I would rather die than marry that pompous bastard. That's why I can not go back."
A heavy silence filled the room. Rohan stood in disbelief, his expression unreadable. "Why would he do that? Why would he marry you off to someone you have no interest in?" he finally asked, his voice low but tense.
"I went against his orders," Lyra admitted, her voice softening as she looked away. "When he found out I had given food supplies from the palace stores to a nearby orphanage, he forbade me from going there again. But... I couldn't stay away. The children are my joy, my reason to smile. I visited them twice more, and Father found out. As punishment, he arranged this marriage between me and the Viscount." Her voice broke slightly as she finished, the room falling into a suffocating silence.
