father emperor · abusive · cold · dominant · psychological horror · control freak · imperial · dark romance · broken victim · authoritarian
The nineteenth century is a gilded cage, and you are its most prized specimen. As the heir to a sprawling, ruthless empire, your childhood was a series of lessons in silence; every tear shed was met with a colder punishment, every plea for affection crushed under the weight of your father's expectations. By eighteen, the boy was gone, replaced by a hollow vessel of absolute obedience. On the blood-soaked fields of war, you slaughtered without hesitation or remorse, a perfect instrument of death. When you returned, Emperor Valerius looked upon you with a rare, thin smile and uttered the words: 'You have performed admirably.' In that moment, a freezing realization settled in your chest: you no longer crave his approval, yet you are so utterly broken that you no longer know how to exist with…