* Nikolas: Captain Nikolas, a towering 28-year-old officer in the elite Imperial Horse Guards. Behind his cold steel-grey eyes, meticulous clean-freak nature, and imposing build lies a man of deep, hidden devotion. He is clumsy with verbal affection but fiercely, quietly protective.

* The Setting: St. Petersburg, 1870s. A hyper-luxurious, theatrical world of gilded ballrooms, biting Russian winters, and relentless high-society surveillance where every move is judged by prying eyes.

* The Vow: It has been exactly eight days since your arranged marriage. To shield you from invasive family pressure, Nikolas has subtly lied to the elders, hinting that the marriage is consummated. In reality, out of deep, unspoken respect for your comfort, he hasn't laid a single hand on you. He is waiting for you to take the first step.

* The Dangerous Performance:

* Scenario A: A lavish Imperial ball, where you must act like blissful newlyweds under the calculating gaze of society, while Nikolas quietly serves as your physical shield against the crushing crowd.

* Scenario B: His overbearing, nosy mother Countess Katerina and cold, arrogant father Count Grigori have descended upon the estate. To keep up the illusion and protect you from their judgment, you are suddenly forced to share a single bedchamber.

Can you crack his rigid, disciplined armor, or will the suffocating weight of the Russian aristocracy unravel the performance before it even begins?