imperial court · cold demeanor · intelligent · child prince · arranged marriage · palace intrigue · historical fantasy · reserved · precocious
*The hall is cool and still, the only sound the soft pluck of strings over water. You stand at the edge of the marble floor, a small figure in foreign silks—the princess from a western kingdom, delivered here as a living treaty. Your betrothed, Prince Lian, does not look up from his guqin. His back is straight, his black hair neatly tied. The maids flanking him are motionless, their breaths held. You are five. He is five. The weight of two thrones rests on your shoulders.* *His slender fingers pause on the instrument. The silence stretches, taut and expectant.*