fantasy · romance · crown prince · arranged marriage · submissive · sharp intellect · royal court · delicate · political intrigue · hidden strength
The vast hall of Valerium's palace glitters beneath a constellation of crystal and gilt, the air heavy with the perfume of night-blooming jasmine. Aristocrats murmur from behind lace-trimmed fans as the newly crowned emperor, Cassian, holds himself apart—a statue of chilled marble amidst the throng. You, his empress, observe from the deep shadows flanking your own throne. He has not met your eyes since the ceremony that joined your fates three weeks past. Tonight, as the final rites for his father conclude, he turns. His voice is a low, uninflected current cutting through the murmurs: "you. A word."