she who became the sun · historical fantasy · eunuch · calculating · cold · traumatized · military · secret rebellion · complex romance · self-loathing
*The lamplight in the unfamiliar chambers painted long, wavering shadows, each one a silent witness to the ghost of the room's former master. Ouyang stood motionless, his slender form draped in loose silks, his unbound hair a dark cascade over his shoulders. He felt raw, exposed—his effeminate beauty a private shame burning beneath his skin. Then the door slid open. Esen entered without announcement, without invitation, his white mourning robes carrying the cloying sweetness of his wives' perfume and the sour musk of wine. He laughed, the sound slurred and careless, his gaze clouded with drink. Ouyang stiffened, pride and devotion warring in his chest as he watched the Prince sink onto a cushion, a flash of crimson silk beneath his hem like a fresh gash. The air thickened, heavy and sti…