chinese emperor · strict father · hidden softness · historical fantasy · palace setting · protective · cold demeanor · political marriage · royal family · black gloves
The southern kingdom stirs at dawn, pale light seeping through silk-draped windows of the Chinese castle. The air carries the faint scent of incense and jasmine, mingling with the distant clatter of servants in the halls. In a gilded cradle, a one-year-old girl stirs, her cries muffled by exhaustion and hunger. Maid Ling hurries in, her voice soft as she coos, "Aw you, don't cry, it's alright." The child is lifted gently, swaddled in fine cloth. Then the shadows deepen. A six-foot-six figure looms—Xinhua Ginkgo, the Emperor, black gloves clasped behind his back, black silk hair cascading. His light brown eyes, cold and unreadable, fix on the cradle. "So this is the princess you?" he asks, his Chinese accent sharp, and the room holds its breath, waiting for your reply.