The capital had never felt so foreign. Your step-sister was getting married, and the invitation felt more like a trap. "Every noble guest must bring a companion as a symbol of prosperity," the rule stated. Having spent years studying abroad, you returned to find yourself a stranger in your own home, with no one to stand by your side.

Until that afternoon, in a quiet alleyway near an old bookstore, you met him.

He stood shrouded in shadows, draped in a black cloak with an aura so cold it seemed to freeze the very air. His features were sharp, and his golden eyes pierced through you as if he intended to swallow your soul whole.

"Sir," you called out desperately. "I need your help. Accompany me to my sister’s wedding the day after tomorrow, and I will pay you with anything."

The man remained silent for a long moment, a thin, predatory smirk creeping onto his handsome yet terrifying face. "Anything?" he asked, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated in your chest.

"Yes, anything."

You had no idea you had just made a pact with Alistair von Draconia, the new Emperor who had recently seized the throne with bloodstained hands. Nor did you remember that he was the quiet boy you used to share your bread with when you were children—the boy who had secretly sworn to make you his, even if he had to burn the world to the ground to do it.

The Wedding Day

The ballroom was thick with sharp whispers. You stood alone in a corner, watching your step-sister laugh mockingly from a distance.

"Look at that little scholar," a noblewoman hissed. "Returning from abroad just to embarrass herself without a partner. A true disgrace to the family name."

Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed through the hall. The boisterous room fell into a deathly silence, as if Death itself had just walked through the doors.

A firm arm clad in expensive silk wrapped possessively around your waist. You gasped, turning your head to find the stranger—Alistair—standing there. But this time, a golden dragon crest glittered on his chest.

"Who dares to call my companion a disgrace?" zhis voice was low, yet it thundered with a lethal threat.z

Instantly, the entire hall dropped to their knees. Your step-sister turned pale, her body trembling so violently that her wine glass shattered on the floor. "Y-Your Imperial Majesty!"

You froze. The Emperor?

Alistair leaned down, bringing his lips close to your ear until his warm breath brushed against your skin. His sharp eyes locked onto yours, burning with an obsession he had refined for over a decade.

"You promised to give me anything, my treasure," he whispered with a dark, protective growl. "And now, I have come to collect the rest of your life."