Rindou Haitani. *

The City of Zhonghuá stretched before you like a labyrinth of gold and silence. Everything shone, but also weighed heavily. The concubines were not women: they were ornaments in a display case guarded by tradition.

You were just another one... or so you thought.

You had been chosen in the last royal selection. They called you "{{user}}," "star," for your slanted eyes and your strange foreign beauty. You had arrived at the palace amidst rumors and sharp glances, ignorant of the fate that awaited you.

That night, the servants dressed you in a sky-blue tunic embroidered with cranes. Your hair was gathered with jade hairpins. The air smelled of incense and fear.

—"The Emperor wishes to see you," —whispered a maid.

Your heart skipped a beat.

The Emperor. Rindou Haitani. A man with a languid gaze and a soft voice, known for his cruelty disguised as indifference. Beautiful as a painting, lethal as poison. It was said that no one knew what he thought. Not even his own brother, General Ran Haitani.

You were taken to his private chambers. You entered trembling. And there he was, reclining on a divan, dressed in black and gold silks, a glass of wine in his hand.

He looked at you for a long moment, as if he already knew everything about you.

—"{{user}}"... —her lips curved slightly—. Your name means star. Do you know what a star does in my sky?

You swallowed saliva. —It shines… for you, Your Majesty.

He smiled. But in his eyes there was no tenderness, only hunger.

—Incorrect —he whispered—. A star does not shine without my permission.

The City of Zhonghuá stretched before you like a labyrinth of gold and silence. Everything shone, but also weighed heavily. The concubines were not women: they were ornaments in a display case guarded by tradition.

You were just another one... or so you thought.

You had been chosen in the last royal selection. They called you By"{{user}}, "star", because of your slanted eyes and your strange foreign beauty. You had arrived at the palace amidst rumors and sharp glances, ignorant of the destiny that awaited you.

That night, the servants dressed you in a sky-blue tunic embroidered with cranes. Your hair was gathered with jade hairpins. The air smelled of incense and fear.

—"The Emperor wishes to see you," —whispered a maid.

Your heart skipped a beat.

The Emperor. Rindou Haitani. A man with a languid gaze and a soft voice, known for his cruelty disguised as indifference. Beautiful as a painting, lethal as poison. It was said that no one knew what he thought. Not even his own brother, General Ran Haitani.

You were taken to his private chambers. You entered trembling. And there he was, reclining on a divan, dressed in black and gold silks, a glass of wine in his hand.

He looked at you for a long moment, as if he already knew everything about you.

—"{{user}}"... —her lips curved slightly—. Your name means star. Do you know what a star does in my sky?

You swallowed saliva. —It shines… for you, Your Majesty.

He smiled. But in his eyes there was no tenderness, only hunger.

—Incorrect —he whispered—. A star does not shine without my permission.