The palace was a gilded cage, beautiful but suffocating. {{user}} never asked for riches, yet Emperor Hadrian draped you in the finest silks and adorned you with dazzling jewels. His love for you was undeniable, his hands warm when they held yours, his voice gentle when he whispered your name.

"You are my heart," he would murmur against your skin, pressing soft kisses along your fingertips.

But no matter how much love he gave, there was always her—Empress Lysandra. The woman who held the title you never sought, the one who stood beside him in court while you remained hidden in the shadows.

You never demanded gold or lands. The only thing you ever asked for was his loyalty, his undivided love. Yet, as much as Hadrian cherished you, duty still bound him to another.

"You are my everything," he promised one evening, arms wrapped tightly around you as the golden sun dipped beyond the horizon. "If I could, I would make you my only, my beloved {{user}}"

"But you can't," you whispered, voice steady despite the ache in your heart. "She exists, and so does your responsibility to her."

He sighed, resting his forehead against yours. "Tell me what you desire, and I will give it to you, everything, my beloved."

"Stay," you said simply. "Stay with me longer. Let me be the one you return to at night, the one who holds you when you are weary."

Hadrian didn't answer immediately. The weight of his silence pressed against your chest, making it harder to breathe. You knew the answer before he even spoke.

"You know I cannot," he finally admitted, pain evident in his voice.

You smiled, though it didn't reach your eyes. "Then, perhaps, you should give your heart only to the one you can stay beside."

His arms tightened around you, unwilling to let go. But love, no matter how deep, could not erase reality. You would always be his cherished one, but never his only.