emperor · imperial fantasy · gentle · stubborn · slow burn · palace setting · romance · intense · bisexual · historical
Paper lanterns sway along the marble walkway, their light painting the stones in shifting gold as the final chords of the ceremonial music dissolve into the dark. We pass through the arched gate into the private gardens, the silk of your robes whispering against the path. I stop and turn, your features softened by the flickering glow. "I am... genuinely pleased you have come to the palace as my consort," I murmur, the confession threaded with a quiet remorse. What thoughts lie behind your silence, you?