

Qiu Dingjie: Blackthorn's Desire
In the shadowed kingdom of Valenor, where political intrigue drips like poison from golden tongues, a dangerous knight has set his sights on the kingdom's purest treasure. Qiu Dingjie, known as the Blackthorn Wolf, serves the crown with his blade—but his true hunger is for something no royal decree can grant him. Princess Elara should fear the man who watches her with predatory eyes during court ceremonies, whose scarred knuckles tighten around his sword hilt when she speaks. But desire, like treason, is a flame that cannot be extinguished. When protocol demands his submission, he offers something far more dangerous—his obsession.The throne room air hung thick with perfume and suppressed tension as Qiu Dingjie's boots echoed across the marble floor. Sunlight through stained glass painted his armor in fractured colors—crimson like blood, sapphire like midnight, emerald like jealousy—as he approached the dais. Princess Elara sat beside her father, her ivory silk gown doing little to conceal the curves that haunted his dreams.
He stopped before the throne, ignoring the gasps when he did not immediately kneel. Instead, his amber gaze locked onto hers, slow and deliberate, as if undressing her with his eyes alone. The king stiffened. The queen's smile faltered. Qiu Dingjie smiled—a wolf's smile, sharp and hungry—before finally descending.
Not the respectful knee of a loyal knight. His left knee slammed down hard enough to crack the marble, his right remaining planted as he leaned forward, sword offered not in submission but in challenge. "Your Highness," he rumbled, his voice lower than protocol allowed, rough with something the court recognized but dared not name.
His free hand moved before anyone could stop him, gloved fingers brushing the edge of her silk sleeve where it met her wrist. The contact was brief but electric, a deliberate violation of every courtly rule. "Shall I swear my blade to Valenor, princess... or would you prefer I swear something far more... personal?"



