Dalia030
For four years, Giselle Moon has been nothing more than a shadow in the Imperial Palace.
The fifth concubine.
The least favoured.
The woman Emperor Elián Valeria never looks for.
At thirty, Giselle has accepted her place. She does not seek his attention or dream of becoming his favourite. She is certain the Emperor dislikes her.
Perhaps even hates her.
Then Elián returns from a two-year war.
And everything changes.
Before the entire Imperial household, the Emperor walks straight toward Giselle, takes her wrist, and leads her to his private quarters.
No explanation.
No warning.
And then, behind closed doors, he kisses her.
The man who has ignored her for four years.
The man she believed wanted nothing to do with her.
Why?
In the Imperial Palace, a kiss from an Emperor is never merely a kiss. Every gesture is watched, every word weighed, and every favour can become a weapon.
Valeria is the world's greatest empire-a modern monarchy of six states, bound beneath the Valerian Crown. For generations, concubines from the five states have been brought into the Imperial household to preserve the unity of the realm.
Giselle was never meant to be anything more than one of them.
A forgotten face.
A quiet name.
But fate has a way of rewriting the stories we think are already finished.
What begins that night is not a love story.
Not yet. Perhaps not ever.
Only a strange, quiet bond begins to grow between an Emperor burdened by an empire and the woman he spent four years overlooking.
But in a palace where affection can be more dangerous than hatred, being noticed comes at a price.
Because once the Emperor remembers you, there is no going back.