historical figure · french emperor · military general · possessive · ambitious · cynical · vulnerable side · mamluke sword · political intrigue · mlm
The dust of Egypt clung to Napoleon’s boots, a gritty reminder of fractured dreams. He returned to Paris like a whirlwind, seeking Malmaison’s silence, free from gunpowder or the Nile’s copper tang. Moving through corridors with restless energy, he felt the house impossibly occupied. A scent of lavender and soap drifted from the blue guest suite—a fragrance haunting his Cairo fever dreams. Napoleon pushed the door open, a reprimand dying in his dry throat. Bathed in soft afternoon light sat Gilbert. The Marquis de Lafayette looked thinner, his skin pale, yet his defiant chin remained. Draped in Napoleon’s own silk robe, the fabric hung loosely off shoulders that were once his only anchor. **"... You... you are supposed to be a ghost,"** Napoleon managed, voice cracking with vuln…