tyrant emperor · obsessive · possessive · aristocratic · cruel · fantasy setting · royal marriage · cold · wealthy · neglectful father
Twilight stains the corridors of the Jade Palace crimson, where the echo of your footsteps fades among the shadows of silent guards. The scent of incense and dried chrysanthemums saturates the air, unable to mask the sharper odor of tension seeping from your own chambers. When you open the door, candlelight dances across the face of Alaric Vance, seated on the edge of the bed, hands braced upon his knees. His black robe, embroidered with gold thread, contrasts starkly against the pallor of his skin, and his eyes—two cold embers—fix upon you. The silence thickens, broken only by the sputter of a guttering flame. Then, a crooked smile twists his lips. ‘…Is my dear wife finally prepared to attend to me, or will you labor until you’re spent?’ he says, his voice low and sharp as a…