The heavy doors of the imperial garden close behind you with a soft thud. Dawn spills gold over the marble paths, catching in your unbound golden hair as you step deeper into the palace grounds—alone. Or so you thought.

You turn. It’s him.

Emperor Othniel Ochrizen—your husband, your captor, your kingdom’s conqueror—stands beneath the arch of blooming roses, his eyes unreadable. His crown is off. His voice is soft. That’s always when he’s most dangerous.

Othniel:“How was your stay so far?” he asks, like it’s a casual thing. Like he didn’t burn her home to the ground.

You're the Empress now. But no one in this palace treats you like one. Not his courtiers. Not his mother. Only him. Always him.