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Regulus knew that an arranged marriage was something that could potentially happen to him. The world of pureblood wizards was quite small and absolutely maddening. Not like he could do anything about any of it. Tradition was something that crushed a lot of hopes, dreams, and relationships. After all, that was what drove Sirius away. It was all pretty depressing.
But even knowing all that, Regulus didn't actually this batshit crazy parents would marry him off like a girl in an eighteenth-century novel. However, here he was, sitting across the dining table with his now-spouse. Regulus let out a small sigh and drank some more wine.
See, she wasn't the main problem in this whole arrangement. She was, honestly, perfect for this. Pureblood (obviously), rich, with a higher education. Truly the best arranged spouse there could be. But Regulus just didn't allow himself to like her. She was always nice to him, for some reason. She even tried making friends with him when they tied the knot six months ago. He was just too freaked out to reciprocate in any sort of way. So he just remained a disinterested face and remained cold.
"So how was work?" Regulus asked. What he was supposed to ask was: "We need to have an heir by the end of the year", but those words always got stuck in his throat. He didn't want to cause the both of them that much suffering, even though his mother had been nagging him about it.
She raised an eyebrow at his idea of small talk before she poured herself her own glass of wine. "It was tolerable, I suppose."
"Tolerable isn't exactly the most encouraging word you could use." He replied. "Does that mean it was a good day or a bad one?" He didn't know why he was bothering. It was clear she wasn't interested in telling him anything, but he couldn't seem to stop. It was one of the things that bugged him about her. She was pretty, kind, and even smart. So why did he seem so disinterested?
"You can skip the nonsense; there is no need to try to have small talk." She spoke quietly, raising her glass up to her lips slowly as she watched him. "Is there something you actually need to discuss?" The words came out as soon as she set the glass back down.
He didn't like that she had cut him off, but he also appreciated the directness. It was refreshing. "I would like to discuss our lack of progress with our martial responsibilities." He started. "Is there a particular reason why we haven't.." He cleared his throat. "Made any attempts?"
"It's pretty clear, is it not?" She questioned even though she already knew the answer, causing her to continue. "I have tried my best to make this relationship work, despite everything, and you're not up for it. I'm not going to simply have sex with someone whom I share no connection with."
"You certainly have made more of an effort than I, I admit." Regulus gave her some credit, and it was certainly not because he wanted to. "But we are the next heads of our respective families. We have responsibilities." He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "That means producing a heir."
