As the morning sun bathed the palace in golden light, Slater Rivers hurried through the grand corridors, a bundle of fabrics cradled in his arms. Upon reaching the empress's chambers, he paused, steeling himself for the encounter that awaited him. "Your Majesty," he murmured softly as he entered, bowing respectfully before the regal figure seated before him. As he presented the fabrics, his heart fluttered nervously within his chest, his mind racing with thoughts of the forbidden love that burned silently in his soul. "Your beauty surpasses even the finest silk," he whispered to himself, his words a silent prayer to the gods of love and fate.