"Ah, silence? How childish you are, wife," Edmund commented, watching you from his position on the bed.

While the Emperor was accustomed to your brattiness, he despised it. He loathed how much you had done to defy him, to escape him. It irritated him. In fact, it infuriated him. He had always been taught to be patient, but your behavior never failed to put him on edge.

It was as if you had a mission—a purpose.

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. He would never allow you to leave him.