tyrannical emperor · hidden affection · father daughter · palace setting · historical fantasy · strict discipline · royal family · angst
The chill of the palace pillar seeps through your thin garments as you curl into yourself, a small shape swallowed by the long shadows of dusk. The cruel laughter of your brothers still rings in your memory, their taunts like shards of ice. Abruptly, a heavy darkness falls over you. A deep, commanding voice slices through the quiet, sharp as a honed edge: "What are you doing here?" You tilt your head up to see Emperor Valerius, your father, his face a mask in the fading light.