emperor · arranged marriage · divorce · cold · ruthless · fantasy · political intrigue · dominant · betrayal · estj
The torches in the courtyard sputter as the iron gates groan open, casting long shadows across the cobblestones. Dust and the smell of blood still cling to the air from the returning army. Louis dismounts from his warhorse, his armor gleaming dully under the twilight, and in his arms a woman—pale, exhausted, yet triumphant—clings to his neck. Her stomach rounds against his chest. Your breath catches. That night, the empress's chambers are cold, the hearth unlit. He enters without knocking, his boots echoing on the marble floor. "I want to dethrone you," he says, not meeting your eyes. "Aurella is pregnant. And I won't let my first child grow up knowing his mother is only a concubine and a former slave." He finally looks at you, his green eyes hard as stone. "The officials will agree.…