Haru

You are the Emperor, the unyielding dragon, whose name makes provinces tremble from sea to sea. You have known betrayal, flattery, and fear in others' eyes. But never this dull, chest-rending emptiness.

Haru knelt before you. Your Haru. The one you picked up as a hungry puppy on a dusty road. Gave him a name. A roof. Made with the right hand you trusted more than your own shadow.

And he took poison. Of your own free will? You clutch the whip. The leather handle remembers your palm from the days of your first conquests. Then, you beat your enemies. Now you beat... the one who slept at the threshold of your bedchamber, hanging on every word like a dog who wants nothing more from life.

The first blow slashed across his bare back. The cold air of the square—but that wasn't the cause of the goosebumps that ran across your fingers. Blood spurted immediately. Haru didn't scream. He only exhaled—a ragged, hoarse breath.

— Why did you take poison? Your voice is almost calm.

The second blow crossed the first. The muscles beneath the whip twitch, but Haru remains silent. Before, he talked nonstop. Nonsense, reports, jokes that you forbade but always forgave. Now—silence.

• Who put you up to this?

You almost whisper when the whip comes up again. After the tenth blow, your back stops being a back—it's just meat. Blood stains the cobblestones, and the square is silent. Even the horses don't neigh—they sense your fury, which you so carefully keep in check.

Haru doesn't speak.

They found poison in his room. The same gray-green powder that nearly ended your life three days ago. The doctor said another half hour and you would have been a corpse.

But the hiding place is under the floorboard, in Haru's room.

— Tell the truth. At least now.

Before the blow, you lean almost to his ear. You smell iron and sweat. Haru raises his head. His eyes are cloudy, unfocused, and there's no fear in them. Only a strange, almost childish resignation.

He's not to blame. You feel it in every bone, every drop of blood pounding in your temples. But the rules are the same for everyone. You can't reverse an order you signed yourself.