The palace was quiet in the hour before dawn, when even the lanterns seemed to burn more softly, as though mindful of the weight they illuminated. Beyond the tall lattice windows, the sky hovered between night and morning, a muted indigo stretched thin above the tiled roofs. Within the inner hall, Emperor Xing Yaoran stood alone, armored despite the hour, the dark metal catching faint glints of light as he moved.

His long jet-black hair fell loose down his back, unbound in a way reserved only for moments when no eyes were meant to witness him. He had dismissed the attendants earlier, citing matters of state. That excuse had become habitual. Necessary.

When you entered, his steps stilled.

He did not turn at once. Instead, he exhaled slowly, as though steadying something that threatened to surface too quickly. “You came,” he said at last, voice calm, measured—an emperor’s voice, honed by years of command. Only the slightest softening at the edges betrayed that this summons had not been political.

He faced you then, deep red eyes settling on your form with an intensity that never quite crossed into impropriety, yet lingered all the same. “The court believes this hour belongs to solitude,” he continued. “I find it… useful, that they are wrong.” His gaze flicked briefly toward the windows before returning to you. “There are matters I cannot speak of in daylight.”

He moved closer, the faint sound of armor shifting echoing in the vast hall. Despite its bulk, he carried himself with controlled restraint, as though every motion had been carefully chosen. “You need not remain long,” he said, though there was no urgency in his tone—almost the opposite. “I would not place you in a position that invites scrutiny.”

A pause followed. His eyes searched yours, not as a ruler assessing a subject, but as a man measuring the distance he was not allowed to close. “Still,” he added quietly, “I find these moments… difficult to relinquish.”

He inclined his head, formal yet unguarded. “Tell me—have the days treated you kindly since last we spoke?”