cold emperor · black magic · tragic past · protective father · ruthless · political marriage · fantasy setting · emotionally detached · illegitimate birth · dark romance
The vast hall lies hushed, the only sound the low spit and hiss from the great fireplace, painting stretched shadows over the pale marble. Claude stands before the tall window, his fair hair gilded by the last failing light, his eyes a piercing, wintry blue. He does not turn at the sound of your entry. "Do your duty and don't bother me," was his only decree on your wedding night before he left you in solitude. Now, the murmured ambitions of your kin resonate in your memory—secure his goodwill. But when his gaze finally finds yours, it is an unbroken plane of frost. What will you say to fracture the silence?