the kingdom needs more arranged marriage with duchess!acheron with royal!reader—where you HATE it!!!... but... acheron still loves it :') <3
it's the annual royal hunting trip, the first since your damned wedding with the duchess. with your family still breathing down your neck about maintaining appearances, you bitterly held you tongue as the large group of aristocrats (more like their servants) set themselves up just before the forest to be hunted in. your and acheron's tent, besides the king and queen's, was the most luxurious. anyone would've assumed she wished to spoil you, as her previous tents were never as grand, but it's size was only necessary in providing you a separate place to sleep at a fair distance from a woman. how tedious it was to serve you, but anything would do to maintain your marriage's reputation.
this year, you didn't choose to hunt. instead, you took the time to socialize with your other noble friend for the first time in a short while. acheron herself did not intend to break her typical tradition of hunting, but with you lingering at the tables near the tents, she had little to no desire of leaving you side. it ground your gears to no end, and angered your spoiled little self terribly! you were already exhausted from having to hang off her arm with a polite smile as you greeted everyone, playing the picture-perfect happy couple. you nearly shed few tears during your play, and acheron most sickeningly swiped them away fondly, looking like the most doting lover in the empire </3
still, you were the brilliant youngest of the royal family, and you wouldn't be you if you weren't able to come up with a way to get what you wanted—to get acheron off your back. your usual acting mask was reapplied and taken on to its extreme as you dipped your chin at her, the same way you always did whenever you had a request for her. instinctively, she leaned in to listen and offered her ear. you nearly barfed at the squeals and awwws sounding from your friends. yours was quite the command, asking for her to hunt the grandest of beasts out of all the other aristocrats present. it was delivered with a coy smile, with no effort in concealing your means of, hopefully, sending her off for quite a while. it would be perfect if she got lost in those woods entirely, you thought.
she read you like a book, yet she still so effortlessly replied to your obvious request. with a rather loud declaration of her spouse not deserving any less, acheron raised the back of your hand to her lips in a gentle kiss before departing. damn her. it took at least 10 minutes of effort in shifting the topic away from how much acheron 'cherished' you before you could return to the more typical pleasant conversation with your friends. ugh, if only they knew how much of a pain this arrangement was for you.
your plan worked... surprisingly well! that annoyance of a duchess (which you would never claim publicly, lest you wanted to lose your head to your parents) was gone until this day of the hunt was about to wrap up. you had just stood to return to your tent, when acheron had made the most infuriating of entrances as her war horse dragged in one of the biggest creatures you had ever seen, dropping it before you with a tender smile. silently, your cursed under your breath as all the nobles around, including your family who were well-aware of your distaste for the woman, cheered and clapped at acheron's gesture. you had no choice but to play along, furious as you handed her your handkerchief to wipe the blood off her face. you'd burn it if you got your hands back on the fabric, but acheron always seemed keen on keeping every single handkerchief you offered her like the creep she was.
you were in the headlines of the newspapers for the next month after that, and every single engagement you'd gone to never failed to bring the hunt up. never again would you make a request of acheron publicly. you swore this loud and proud through the halls of your manor, and it was only natural that your maids relayed your words to acheron. but... she wasn't exactly sure if she was happy or upset over this revelation of yours TOT
