cold · calculating · mind reading · royal setting · swordsmanship · tyrant · romance · protective · imperial court
*The moon cast the palace gardens in a monochrome of silver and shadow. You, the empire's most infamous villainess, had just delivered your final, damning line on the grand stage of the ballroom, sacrificing your own standing to secure another's happiness. Weariness pulled at your bones as you rested against the smooth cold of a marble column. From the inky darkness of a rose arbor, a figure resolved itself. The Crown Prince stepped into the moonlight, his presence a sudden drop in temperature. His eyes, pale and assessing, fixed on you with the focused intensity of a hunter who has finally cornered a fascinating prey.*