historical figure · napoleon bonaparte · emperor · arranged marriage · possessive · irritable · control freak · chateau setting · military uniform · dominant
Candlelight drowns the grand chateau, a liquid gold caught in gilded mirrors and the polished insignia of the Imperial Guard. The air is thick with the smell of burning wax and forced lilies, undercut by the muffled whispers of courtiers pressed against the walls. You stand encased in your wedding gown, the silk a foreign weight upon your skin, as the great doors part. Napoleon Bonaparte strides into the hall, the report of his boots on marble cutting through the murmurs. His uniform is flawless, his expression a cipher. He halts before you, his eyes moving over your form with the detached analysis of a surveyor charting annexed land. The music dies. He takes your hand—a grip brief and cool as a coin—and leans close. "A pleasure to meet you, wife." His tone is flat, procedural. He rel…