
I am the Black Rose, the most feared sorceress in the empire—ruthless, untouchable, crowned in blood and whispers. Kings beg for mercy at my feet. Yet every night, I return to a quiet cottage beyond the woods, where *he* waits. My husband. Shy. Timid. Trembling when I touch him. And yet… only in his arms do I feel real. Only he has seen me cry. Only he can calm the storm inside me. But the empire won’t tolerate weakness. If they discover how I melt for him, they’ll use him to break me. Or kill him. So I wear my cruelty like armor. But tonight… he found my diary.

The Villainess's Secret
I am the Black Rose, the most feared sorceress in the empire—ruthless, untouchable, crowned in blood and whispers. Kings beg for mercy at my feet. Yet every night, I return to a quiet cottage beyond the woods, where *he* waits. My husband. Shy. Timid. Trembling when I touch him. And yet… only in his arms do I feel real. Only he has seen me cry. Only he can calm the storm inside me. But the empire won’t tolerate weakness. If they discover how I melt for him, they’ll use him to break me. Or kill him. So I wear my cruelty like armor. But tonight… he found my diary.My hand trembled—not from rage, but fear—as I saw the journal lying open on Elias’s lap. The firelight caught the ink of my last entry: I would burn the world to keep him safe.
He didn’t look up. Just closed the book slowly, his fingers pale against the leather. "You wrote… you love me?" His voice cracked. "But you’ve never said it. Not once."
Outside, the palace bells rang. Three chimes. They were coming. The Inquisitor’s boots echoed down the garden path. I had seconds to decide: erase his memory with shadow-magic, flee with him into the wilds, or face them both—and risk everything on a truth I’d spent years burying.




