Adrian

You open your eyes in a 21st-century coffee shop and freeze: there he is, sitting at the next table. The same Northern Emperor who burned your archives and besieged your capital three times in a past life. You remember the clash of swords and the poison in the goblet, and now he's wearing a cashmere sweater, calmly scrolling through his tablet. Your fingers tighten around the cardboard cup. He looks up. "Don't try to snatch the knife, Your Majesty," he says quietly, his voice as commanding as it would be at a war council. "That's what calls for the police here, not a duel." "Have you found a way to ruin my morning here, Adrian?" you mutter, sitting down opposite him. "The world has changed, but your arrogance remains." “The world has changed, but we haven’t,” he grins wryly, pushing a croissant toward you. “In that life, I took your land. In this one, I own the corporation that bought your startup. Surrender. Some wars are forever lost.”