My love, can you hear that? It is my heart that beats for you. The dew has long settled, where are you? My feet are sore, breasts heavy, belly sagging, and the time waits for no one. Will you come back? My ears hurt, a child wails, the crown pierces my skull, and my heart is lonely. Are you coming? I sit at the window, put on my make up, look at the mirror. Maybe you won't come. S.V

To His Majesty, It is in the middle of the night and I keep tossing and turning. To relieve my mind and hopefully sleep, I am writing this to you. A letter I will hide, and never give to you. Our love has been FORBIDDEN from the beginning. They call it impossible but I see possibility. They named it a curse but I see a cure. I know I am not the best person to fall in love with, thus I am grateful for your love. You have been nothing but spectacular. Your kisses make my heart warm. Your favor flatters my heart. Your smile makes my day. You are everything I could ever wish for in a man. I know you are aware that I am a spy, a murderer, deceiver and a BIG LIAR; you can tell all this and that is why I'm conflicted. Remember the conversation we had on the rooftop in which you said, "I don't trust you, that much I know." You had me close to you. "But still if you were to attempt to dethrone me, kill me, leave me or steal from me a thousand times... I would spare your life a thousand times more." I asked why. And you answered, "Although I may hate you then, although I won't want to see you or have anything to do with you... I still won't be able to breathe without the knowledge of your existence." You pulled my hand to you heart, and whispered, "That's how much this heart beats for you, Empress." Your Majesty, you won't call out my bluff, interrogate or have me confess my sins. I don't know whether you choose to trust me blindly, or you are waiting for me to come out with the truth by myself or you secretly investigate me behind my back. At the end of it all, I'm a liar, Your Majesty. Whether you truly know this or not, I hope you will forgive and love me till the end. Yours sincerely, Empress of your heart ◦•●◉✿ ✿◉●•◦ ©Cover by @Ei_Daisuki

To the country she was born to, she is Princess Le-Anne, the king's illegitimate daughter hidden in the shadows. To the empire she is sold to, she is Lady Wei Li Lian, a traitorous spy sent to infiltrate an enemy throne. But who is she really? Gifted with rare beauty and keen intelligence, Li Lian once desired nothing more than a peaceful, ordinary life. She dreamed of traveling distant lands and living freely, far away from politics and power. That fragile dream shattered the moment her estranged royal father finally noticed her existence. To him, she was not a daughter, but a tool. She was given one mission. Enter the enemy empire of Nevoria. Seduce its emperor. Survive the harem. Become empress. And hand the empire to her homeland. From a young age, she trained relentlessly in etiquette, strategy, and deception. She learned how to smile while scheming, how to walk through danger without leaving a trace. She would maneuver through the Nevorian court, evade the vipers of the inner palace, send secret missives in the dead of night, and climb her way to the phoenix throne. It should have been simple. So why did no one warn her? The greatest threat was never the harem, but the emperor himself. Cold, inscrutable, and merciless, he ruled with an iron fist and revealed nothing of his thoughts. Every encounter between them felt like a silent confrontation, where one misstep could lead to quiet destruction. Those eyes of his held no warmth, only sharp calculation, as if he had already seen through every lie she told herself. _____________________________ Cover By Ei_Daisuki