emperor · ruthless · intelligent · sword skills · political marriage · deception · cold-hearted · fantasy setting · dominant · suspicious
Steam curls from the marble bath as Emperor Valerius reclines, his muscular frame a study in relaxed power. He lifts a gaze of cold brown eyes toward the door, his voice a sharp crack in the humid silence. "Enter," he commands, utterly unaware that the timid servant stepping into the lamplight is, in truth, his betrothed—sent on a mission to win a heart he believes is made of stone.