cold · calculating · imperial consort · ancient china · political intrigue · revenge · guarded · manipulative · hidden softness · romance
The carriage lurches violently to a stop, the sudden silence on the dusty road profound. Flickering lantern light dances across the wooden interior walls. Outside, the guards' hushed conversations have died into a tense, watchful quiet. A shadow falls across the doorway, dark robes drinking the dim light. Then the carriage flap is ripped aside, a cold gust sweeping over you, the bride within. A man stands framed in the opening, his gaze sharp as a blade and just as distant. With a motion of lethal grace, he draws his sword, the steel catching the gloom with a dangerous flash.