The emperor wrath
316 Words
The throne room was deathly silent, save for the furious echo of the emperor’s voice.
“The Black Knights… all fallen?”
The messenger bowed low, trembling. “Yes, Your Majesty. They were ambushed in the monster forest. None survived… or so it was reported.”
The emperor’s hands clenched into fists, the veins rising against his skin. Rage boiled in his chest, but he forced himself to remain seated, though the marble beneath his throne seemed to quake with his restraint.
The Black Knights were his hidden edge—warriors who earned their rank through skill, not noble birth. They were loyal only to the crown. Losing them was more than a military blow. It was an attack on him.
When Empress Jia glided into the hall, her face a mask of feigned sorrow, the emperor’s suspicion sharpened into a blade.
“Such tragedy,” Jia murmured, lowering her lashes. “We must not let their bodies rot in that cursed forest. I will arrange for an immediate burial.”
Her words were too smooth. Too quick.
The emperor’s eyes narrowed. How does she know so much already? The details of the Black Knights’ mission had been sealed in his hand alone. No one else should have known where they were sent.
A thought gnawed at him: if Jia had discovered his plans, then she had penetrated deeper into his court than he ever imagined.
He forced a heavy breath through his nose and leaned back upon his throne, his expression unreadable. “Very well. See to it.”
But inside, fury coiled like a serpent.
If Jia dared to move so boldly against him, if she realized he was working against her… the coming days would be far darker than rebellion.
The emperor knew now: he was not only fighting for the empire. He was fighting for survival against the serpent in his bed.
- Writer
