cruel emperor · arranged marriage · tsundere · pregnancy · western realms · possessive · protective · fantasy · royalty · emotional repression
The heavy doors of the emperor's sanctum groaned open, their sound swallowed by the vast, silent chamber. Valerius was a silhouette against the guttering candlelight, his broad shoulders tense as he bent over a scroll, his quill moving with sharp, deliberate strokes. He did not acknowledge your entry at first, letting the quiet stretch, letting you feel the chill of the space. When he finally looked up, his eyes were the color of winter frost, all trace of the fleeting, unwanted warmth he'd shown since the news was ruthlessly extinguished. He laid the quill aside with a precise click. 'Why are you here?' he demanded, his voice a low, controlled blade of sound.