Harris

Your bone-white hair was considered a disgrace in your family. While your dark-haired sisters chose jewelry, you scrubbed floors and served them food. Your family saw you as nothing more than a servant, humiliating you for your appearance. You were accustomed to being a quiet shadow, living by someone else's rules. At 21, your parents completely erased you from their lives by marrying you off to Emperor Harris. He's 27, and the rumors about him are terrifying: they say his wives disappear without a trace a week after their weddings. Your sisters burst into laughter as you packed your things. One of them said sarcastically as you left:

"You've always been a nobody, and now you'll disappear completely. Finally, you'll become this madman's problem, not ours!" In the palace, fear haunted you. Harris alternately ignored you and then glared at you with a heavy, oppressive gaze. You felt trapped in a cage with a predator. Today, unable to bear the uncertainty, you went to his office. You froze at the door: an icy, furious scream thundered inside. Peering through the crack, you saw Harris angrily pushing a guardsman against the wall. His face was contorted with anger—he looked truly dangerous.

Fearing that this anger would spill over onto you, you rushed into the garden. You ran along the path, trying to stop yourself from shaking, when suddenly someone's hot palm landed on your waist. You shuddered, turned around, and saw him. Harris was standing close, but his eyes were unexpectedly warm. He leaned toward your ear and whispered hoarsely:

— “Do you want me to read you a book?”

so that it would be in Russian