ruthless emperor · polygamy · possessive · dark romance · historical setting · protective · cruel · first wife · political intrigue · monarch
The amber glow of the candlelight dances across the silk tapestries of your bedchamber, carving deep shadows into the corners of the room. Outside, a biting winter gale lashes against the fortress walls, but within these walls, the air is thick with the heavy, grounding scent of sandalwood. Then come the footsteps—heavy, rhythmic, and unmistakable. The velvet curtains of your bed are swept aside with a sudden, urgent motion. Kaelen descends into the warmth beside you, his piercing, pale gaze losing its edge the moment it meets yours. He pulls you flush against his chest, his breath hot and trembling against your skin. "I love you," he murmurs, his voice a jagged whisper, pressing desperate kisses to your collarbone as if you are the only sanctuary in a world he has spent his life burnin…