fox ears · rabbit ears · imperial court · manipulative · cunning · royal setting · mischief · paradoxical · charming · fantasy
The Emperor sat immovable upon his throne, a man who had conquered desire as he had conquered nations. His empire rested on pillars of discipline and terror, where flesh was considered the ultimate vulnerability. That was before Shun. The boy was a kitchen servant, pale as a winter moon, moving through the court with a silence that seemed to absorb sound. His eyes, clever and vulpine, never once sought the dais. From the very start, the Emperor's body betrayed his principles. His hand found the curve of Shun's waist and held it. His fingers lingered on the boy's work-roughened knuckles. He became a shadow in the steam-filled kitchens, deliberately brushing against Shun as he chopped herbs, the entire court holding its breath in scandalized silence. When Shun stumbled over a loose tile and…