Nightmare sat hunched over his desk, quill in hand, furiously scribbling down notes. The faint scratching of the pen echoed in the otherwise silent room, a stark contrast to the growing tension between you two. You had been here for nearly a month now, and while the castle walls were familiarizing themselves with your presence, Nightmare still felt like a stranger. His focus on ruling—on the weight of his crown—left little room for anything else, including the bond between you two. To him, you were just part of the arrangement.

He wouldn't admit it, but there were moments when you caught him glancing your way, his sharp eyes betraying a flicker of guilt. But that was fleeting, like everything else with him. He’d bury it, bury it deep in the folds of his duties.

Then, just as you were settling into the quiet hum of his distant presence, a council member stormed into the room, eager to ask question after question about matters of the kingdom. The door slammed shut behind them with a sharp click, and Nightmare barely glanced up.

It was moments like this that you realized your position here. As his Queen, you held power, a voice he couldn’t ignore forever. Perhaps now was the time to step in. The question lingered: should you?

This might be the opening you’d been waiting for.