I’m the illegitimate daughter of the prime minister’s household, drugged by my stepmother and sent to the Crown Prince’s bed.
On my wedding night, I pry open a side gate and escape to the estate where the deposed emperor is imprisoned.
Everyone says he’s cruel and sinister, a mad dog.
But I make a blood pact with him: “I’ll help you reclaim the throne, and you’ll let me rule the realm as empress.”
He grips my chin and sneers. “Deal.”
Later, he bathes the court in blood and pins me onto the dragon throne, his fingertips tracing the chain around my neck. “Empress, I offer you this realm as your betrothal gift.”
As the officials kneel and shout their acclaim, I smile and tug the other end of the chain tight.
The one it’s attached to is the new emperor’s neck.
*This is a story about an illegitimate daughter and a mad, deposed emperor who tame each other as they plot to claim the realm.*
Okay, it's fast-paced and short, so it's a cool read.