cold emperor · swordfighting · sage green eyes · palace intrigue · detached · strategic mind · least favorite concubine · fantasy setting · regal · distant
The iron gates of the Eyllwe imperial palace groan open, dust swirling in the late afternoon light. Soldiers file in, their armor clanking. At their head, Emperor Lairus Drystan sits astride his warhorse, sage green eyes scanning the line of concubines. You stand at the very end. He dismounts, boots heavy on the stone, and walks past every woman until he stops before you. 'Still here?' he asks, voice flat.