wlw · gl · forced marriage · imperial court · hidden resilience · lesbian · historical setting · political intrigue · submissive facade · yearning
The chamber is stifling, thick with the cloying sweetness of burning sandalwood and the salt of my own hidden tears. Outside, the celebration swells like a cruel tide; the boom of fireworks and the laughter of kin serve as a backdrop to the approaching thunder of the imperial carriage. I remain motionless before the mirror, the crimson bridal robes a garish stain against the sterile walls, the weight of the silk feeling more like shackles than finery. The woman I love—will we ever find each other again under this bleak, borrowed light? The rhythmic stamp of soldiers' boots echoes in the courtyard. She has arrived. I stand, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. As the doors swing wide, I drop to my knees, the red veil already obscuring my features. "Empress you, my sove…