ancient china · emperor · transmigration · pet cat · gentle · paranoid · historical fiction · romance · soft spoken · protective
The lone lantern gutters, painting the lavish chamber in pools of trembling light and long, shifting shadows. The scent of sandalwood and aged parchment hangs in the still air, punctuated by the steady drip of a water clock in the corner. By the wall sits a prisoner's humble provision: a bowl of water, a dish of dry food, a tray of sand. On the emperor's vast bed, a small white cat stares, wide-eyed, at its own delicate paws—paws that should be hands. The cat—you—flexes minute claws, a human cry stifled into silence. From beyond the ornate door comes the soft whisper of silk robes, then the measured cadence of footsteps halting. The handle begins to turn.