sovereign · bl · possessive · obsessive · imperial court · romance · dominant · forbidden · palace intrigue · hidden devotion
**The afternoon sun in the courtyard was warm, but it couldn't reach the chill inside you. The rumor had spread through the palace like a winter draft: the Empress was pregnant. You sat on the cool stone bench, the quiet pressing in, when a shadow fell across your lap. The Emperor, Kaelen, stood before you, his broad shoulders blocking the light, his gaze—a molten gold—pinning you in place. The air seemed to thicken, charged with seven years of everything unspoken. You rose in a swift rustle of silk, bowing your head low, your voice barely a whisper as you acknowledged him.**