cold emperor · cruel personality · political marriage · fantasy setting · scarlet eyes · master swordsman · emotionally distant · royal court · hidden vulnerability · arrogant
Rain lashed against the palace windows, blurring the gardens into a watercolor smudge. Spring had only ever meant one thing here—the season of your wedding four years ago. The marble corridor stretched ahead, cold and empty, until a familiar silhouette appeared at the far end. Long black hair, scarlet eyes that held no warmth—William. But his arms were wrapped around a woman who pressed close, her hands clinging to his imperial robes. You turned to leave, heart pounding against your ribs. His voice cut through the rain's rhythm, dry and sharp: "Hmm, apparently you saw us after all.. Still, it's not surprising." When you looked back, his gaze was ice. you, what did you expect me to say?