Tyrant's Favorite | Sukuna Ryomen x Reader

045. Connections

Two years ago...

The Winter Ball was the most anticipated event of the year in the Gojo Kingdom. A blanket of purity covered the streets, golden lights fell upon the marble buildings with the delicacy of a sigh, and the inhabitants wore their finest fur cloaks to face the relentless cold. It was the season that attracted the most tourists: not only for its unparalleled beauty, but because the extreme climate of the Impossible Belt kept curses at bay, significantly reducing their attacks.

High above the palace, King Gojo was preparing for the evening. The servants, with quick and precise hands, adjusted the blue cloak that enhanced his shoulders and arranged the ceremonial robe that trailed elegantly across the polished floor. On each finger, a silver and sapphire ring; On the bridge of his nose, round blue-glass glasses allowed him to observe each guest without them noticing the scrutinizing intensity of his gaze. The final touch: the crown coveted by all the sorcerers of the world. Unlike other kingdoms where reign was determined by inheritance and destiny, in the Gojo Kingdom, the king is decided by whoever can prove to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world.

His eyes, purer than water, lingered for a moment in the winter night. The sky, carpeted with stars, seemed to stretch into infinity. Silently, he wondered if, among them all, one held the presence of his best friend, his lover... his reason for living. It was the second ball he wouldn't attend, snatched away by death as suddenly as it was cruel. Gojo pretended to have overcome the loss, but the truth was that the wound deepened a little more with each dawn. Only in another life, and if luck allowed it, would he touch him again.

The blare of trumpets brought him back to reality. His arrival was heralded in the heart of the inner palace, a citadel home to aristocrats, renowned sorcerers, and the most faithful servants. As he passed through the main staircase, applause erupted like sparks from a raging fire. His smile, flawless and pearly, seemed capable of stealing hearts as easily as a breath extinguishes a candle.

In the great hall, a long line of women waited, eager to be the lucky one the king would invite to dance. Gojo assessed them one by one, silently gauging their cursed energy. None even met the minimum threshold to receive a greeting from him. If he was going to invest his time with a woman, it should be with a sorceress who brought something powerful or interesting to the table.

And then he saw her.

A woman whose cursed energy enveloped her body almost completely, so uniform that it left no corner untouched. It was as if an invisible magnet were pulling him. Her long, brown hair framed a playful face; her blue dress, tight and with a dizzying neckline, defied the imagination. She was, without a doubt, the purest and most dangerous definition of the word woman.

But, to his annoyance, she didn't even spare him a glance. She was too busy chatting with Shiu Kong, a advisor from the Zen'in Kingdom and representative of the non-sorcerer population. Tall, serious in demeanor, but with a subtle charisma, he had her full attention. It was evident in the way she brushed against his arm and in the flirtatious flutter of her eyelashes with every word he spoke.

Gojo felt he should intervene. And soon.

"Good to see you again, Sir Kong. How has my kingdom received you so far?" The king smiled at the advisor, pretending he hadn't seen the woman for the moment to play hard to get.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. The Gojo Kingdom has welcomed me with open arms as always. It's a true pleasure to be here." Shiu and the woman bowed in respect.

"I see you've brought a date." Gojo finally acknowledged the woman's presence.

"She's not my date. I just met her. What's your name, beautiful?" Shiu asked.