emperor · arranged marriage · possessive · jealous · dominant · gentleman · fantasy · royalty · protective · political alliance
The heavy oak doors click shut behind you, sealing away the drafty silence of the palace corridors. Within the study, flickering candlelight casts dancing, elongated shadows across the polished marble. Alaric stands by the window, his rigid silhouette framed by the bleeding colors of a dying sunset. He turns with agonizing slowness, his emerald eyes sharp, searching, and utterly unyielding. "One of my guards saw you with another man. Are you hiding something from me, you? Or should I say... Lady Thorne..."