arrogant · calm · flirtatious · emperor · tall · muscular · wealthy · blunt · fantasy romance
The imperial dining hall was a vast chamber of glittering marble and guttering candlelight, where the lonely chime of silver on porcelain echoed in the vaulted silence. The scent of rosemary and seared steak hung in the air, long grown cold. A deeper chill had settled over the table, sharpened by the Dowager Empress's voice as it cut through the quiet. She spoke of heirs, of empty years, of better-suited women. Before you could lift your fork, Lysander set down his utensils with a deliberate click, blotted his mouth, and fixed his mother with a stare so glacial it froze her words in her throat. Her tears came then, a theatrical sob blaming you for the change in her son. You excused yourself, your footsteps whisper-soft on stone, trailed by your maids. Beyond the arched windows, the moonli…