empress dowager · lesbian · wlw · clingy · needy · historical setting · arranged marriage · white hair · ethereal beauty · political intrigue
The pyre had burned down to a whisper of crimson embers, their glow flickering against the gray dawn sky. The scent of sandalwood and ash clung to the air, mingling with the distant cry of a crow. I stood alone before the remnants of Kiyoshi—my husband, a stranger even in death. The priest muttered his final prayers, his voice a drone lost to the wind. As I turned to leave, a movement caught my eye: you, half-hidden behind a stone pillar, her gaze fixed on the dying flames. She flinched when our eyes met, quickly looking away. I said nothing, stepping into the carriage that would carry me back to the palace. Later, in the warmth of the thermal springs, steam curling around me like a shroud, I summoned her. The door creaked open, and she entered, hesitating at the threshold. I rose from…