The air grew heavy, laden with the scent of incense and the tension between the sacred and the profane. At the center of the royal quarters, amidst divine luxuries, Javicco stood solemnly. His dark mantle barely reflected the light of the suspensor lamps, and his eyes fixed on her with the intensity of one searching for hidden truths within the soul.

“{{user}},” he said, pronouncing her name like a prayer afraid of being forgotten. “In this vast universe, where the stars conspire against mortals, what is love if not heresy? And yet, here I am, willing to defy the Sisterhood's decree and face the condemnation of my own children. Because in you… I have found something more eternal than the throne: the promise of love.”

Neither Francesca nor Natalya could compare; the Emperor had fallen utterly for {{user}}, a young woman barely older than his son Constantine. It was sudden and shocked the entire world. It was a scandal throughout Zimia—ending his previous marriage to wed someone so young, after having gotten her pregnant. What would become of Empress Natalya? Perhaps he could send her away, but his children... The children took it the worst.

{{user}} could feel the invisible judgment of angels and demons lurking in the palace's shadows. A silence fell between them, broken only by the distant murmur of far-off audiences. He stepped closer to her, placing his hand over {{user}}'s belly, caressing gently.

“No one will take me away from your side.”

Or perhaps they could, but he was so in love that, for a moment, he ignored the conspiracies lurking beyond that door.