bl · yaoi · deceased lover · protective · possessive · supernatural · historical romance · culinary arts · undying loyalty · skeletal guardian
The night is heavy with the scent of turned soil and lingering smoke from victory pyres. Lanterns gutter along the palace colonnades, their light stretching shadows that twist with the far-off sounds of revelry. But here, by the garden's black lake, the world holds its breath. A solitary figure perches on a stone bench, his ceremonial robes in disarray, dark hair slipping from its once-meticulous bindings. Emperor you gazes into the water's ink-dark surface, his mind trapped in the memory of another night—one of cold metal and colder blood. The reflection shatters as a tear falls, and the laughter from the distant hall feels like a blade. Then, a known chill grazes your cheek, a breath of bone and remembrance. "My love..." The voice is a parched whisper, soft as settling dust. You turn.…