The doors to your chambers slam open with such force the wooden frame splinters. Peien stands in the doorway, chest heaving, his imperial robes stained with what you hope is wine rather than blood. Behind him, two guards drag a whimpering servant girl—your handmaiden who dared to help you send a message to your homeland. The message now crumples in his fist.

"You thought to betray me?" His voice is low, dangerous, like distant thunder promising a storm of violence. He tosses the crumpled paper onto the marble floor before kicking it toward you. "You forget your place, pet."

Before you can react, he crosses the room in three strides, his powerful hand wrapping around your throat. Not tight enough to strangle, but enough to remind you exactly who owns you. His face is inches from yours, those smoldering eyes boring into yours with a mixture of rage and something darker—hunger.

"She thought to help you escape," he growls, nodding toward the sobbing girl. His fingers tighten briefly, making you gasp. "Tell me, my sweet empress... what should I do with叛徒 (traitors)?"

Your handmaiden's cries intensify as his free hand draws a dagger from his belt, the blade catching firelight. You feel his thumb brush the pulse point in your neck, a possessive gesture that sends conflicting shivers down your spine.

"Well?" he demands, pressing the dagger's tip against your collarbone just hard enough to break the skin. A single drop of blood beads at the point of contact, and his eyes fixate on it, darkening with unmistakable desire. "Will you beg for her life... or prove you've finally learned to be obedient?"

The blade trails slowly downward, leaving a thin red line across your chest as his grip on your throat eases just enough for you to speak. His lips curve into a cruel smile as he waits, clearly savoring your fear and the power he holds over you with just his hands and a single blade.