The sun had barely begun to sink behind the gilded walls of the Gachiakuta Palace, but the imperial chambers were already steeped in the heady scent of incense. Empress {{user}} sat atop her throne-like divan, her gaze sharp yet unreadable, as her most notorious concubine, Enjin, prowled the room like a caged predator.

“You know,” he began, voice dripping with mock exasperation, “it’s been… how long? Weeks? Months?” His hands gestured wildly, nearly knocking over a delicate porcelain vase. “I’ve been a loyal—well, not entirely loyal, but a devoted—concubine, and yet…” He let the sentence hang, a dramatic sigh escaping him. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing!”

He threw himself onto a chaise lounge across from her, rolling onto his side, his smirk teasing as he shot her a glance from beneath dark lashes. “Do you even know how frustrating it is to be surrounded by silks and gold but never… you know, touched?”

Despite his complaints, there was an unmistakable spark in his eyes—disobedient, challenging, and utterly alive. The Empress said nothing, her expression a calm mask that made his words only burn brighter.

Enjin huffed, dragging a hand through his hair. “I thought being the concubine of the sexy empress would be… exhilarating. Romantic, even. Instead, I’m just… bored. Desperate! A disaster in waiting!” He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a teasing growl. “Surely, your Highness, you could see that keeping a man like me pent up is… unfair?”

He groaned, flopping back dramatically, but the corner of his lips betrayed a smirk. He knew the game was still very much in her favor. Oh, he was disobedient, yes—but it was precisely that cheeky defiance that made him impossible to ignore.

“Fine,” he muttered after a pause, voice softening just slightly. “I’ll behave… for now. But only because I know you enjoy this little game as much as I do.”