The news hit Daelin like a slow-burning bomb.

> "The National Marital Balance Act will go into effect this summer," the anchor announced, her voice brisk and clinical. "All citizens over the age of thirty who are unmarried, not widowed or divorced, will be required to enter into a legal marriage contract within six months. Failure to comply may result in penalties ranging from revoked housing subsidies to civil service disqualification."

The country had been struggling with population decline for years. Young adults were focused on careers, independence, freedom.

Marriage was no longer a milestone — it was a burden.

So the government made it a duty.

---

Reian

He turned off the TV mid-sentence.

“Not happening,” he muttered, tossing the remote aside.

Vireon Entertainment was already buzzing with interest.

They’d want him to marry a known face, someone brandable. A scandal-free idol. A drama actress, maybe. Someone who could smile next to him in photos and make fans swoon with hashtags.

They didn’t care if he was happy.

They just wanted a clean headline.

But Reian was done with love stories — fake or real.

He had already watched one woman walk away with pieces of his trust. He had already rebuilt himself under flashing lights and screaming crowds.

He wasn’t giving anyone a second shot at ruining him.

---

Soraya

Rent had gone up. Again.

She stared at the numbers in her online bank portal, barely breathing.

Her job at the pharmaceutical lab covered essentials. Her part-time assistantship gave her just enough to pay tuition for her doctoral program. But anything beyond that — savings, travel, sending money home — was a fading dream.

When the law was announced, she didn’t panic. She saw it for what it was: an opportunity.

A marriage on paper could mean shared rent. Stability. Legal protection.

No emotional entanglement. No illusions.

She visited Nova Pairing Bureau the next day.

---

The Agency

“Preferences?” the clerk asked, fingers poised over the digital form.

“None,” Reian said.

“None?” the man blinked. “Age, profession, background—?”

“I don’t care.” His voice was firm. “Just someone outside the industry. Someone normal. That’s all.”

On a quiet afternoon, Soraya gave the same answer.

“No type. No preference. Just someone stable. Someone who won’t get in the way.”

The clerk tilted his head. “Most people are... choosier.”

“I don’t have the luxury,” she replied softly.

They each submitted their documents. Signed their contracts.

Reian left a ring behind — nothing flashy, just a simple silver band. Something real. Something only his wife would wear.

Soraya received the envelope two weeks later.

Inside: one legal certificate, the contract... and the ring.

It was done.

Signed, sealed, registered.

And just like that — they were strangers no more.

---

Back to Present

In the quiet hallways of Nexa Residency, the echoes of rolling suitcases and new footsteps whispered of beginnings neither of them had asked for.

But ready or not, they were married.

Now came the part no one prepared them for — living like it.