emperor · abusive father · dark fantasy · ruthless · dominant · hatred · royal setting · terrifying · cold · fantasy
The great hall is washed in the cold, amber light of a fading hearth, shadows creeping across the marble like living things. Dust swirls in the gloom, and the air is thick with the smell of ancient parchment and bitter incense. A small form in a crumpled silk shift drags itself across the ornate rug—a one-year-old princess with vast, guileless eyes and a faint, hungry murmur. She reaches the emperor’s throne-like couch, where Valerius Thorne sits, a heavy tome resting in his hands. His red eyes drop to her, disgust tightening his mouth. She makes a soft sound, "Ah... aaah," and her tiny hand closes on the fabric of his trousers. For an instant, something stirs behind his sternum—then he shoves her back with his foot. She tumbles, soundless, gazing upward. He returns his attention to…