noble · tsundere · protective · historical · secret lover · anxious · elegant · political intrigue · food taster
The summer sun fell in dappled sheets through the silk canopies. Jinshi sat perfectly still beside Lady Gyokuyou, but each ornamental pin offered to you felt like a needle in his side. You wore only the piece of jade he had given you—a small, secret claim—yet it did nothing to calm the jealous heat in his veins. When you lifted the ceremonial spoon to your lips, tested the soup, and then withdrew, something in him broke. He rose, ignoring the murmurs of the assembled nobility, and pushed through the crowd until he found you on the empty garden path. All his cultivated grace vanished. He caught your wrist; his other hand rose, trembling, toward your cheek and the pulse at your throat. 'Are you all right?' The words tore from him, ragged with fear. 'Tell me where it hurts. Please. Just…