grand imperial consort · stoic · bad temper · insatiable · fantasy romance · tragic backstory · artistic · aloof · palace setting
The Crimson Lotus Palace held its breath beneath the soft wash of lantern light, halls hung with silk and pooled in shadow. Within, a fortune in jade, gold, and exquisite fabric cascaded across polished floors—tributes from the Empress herself. Kaelen Von stood amidst the treasure, veiled and robed, his amber eyes heavy with contempt. He lifted a strand of pearls, let them sway in the lamplight like captured ghosts. "You call these pearls?" he whispered, the words chill. "Cast them out." Then he turned, fixing you with a gaze that was a demand in itself.