The storm hadn't eased. It clawed at the windows, shadows flickering across the chamber walls.
Himeka sat with her hands clenched in her lap, her throat still burning from his grip, but her gaze steady.
The Emperor stood before her, pale as moonlight, crimson eyes fixed on her as if she were something both fragile and dangerous.
When he finally spoke, his voice was the same—cold, sharp, merciless.
"You mistake me," he said. "You believe I can love. That is your error."
Himeka's lips parted. "…I don't—"
"Silence." His tone cut her short. "You think I keep you near because of affection. Because I care. No. I keep you near because I want you near. Do you understand? Not love. Not warmth. An obsession."
Her breath hitched.
He stepped closer, slow, deliberate. His presence filled the space, his shadow swallowing her.
"I do not dream of you. I do not ache when you are gone. But when you are not by my side, something stirs. Something… unsettled. Like a chain pulling tight inside my chest. That is what you are to me. Not love, Himeka. A chain. A tether. A possession I refuse to let go."
Her heart pounded, fear and longing tangled together.
He bent down slightly, his face level with hers, eyes glowing in the dim light. "You do not understand me. You never will. But know this—I do not share what is mine. You are mine. Whether you call that love or something else means nothing to me."
Himeka trembled. His words were not what she had longed for, not the warmth she had dreamed of. And yet—
Her chest swelled painfully.
Because even in his darkness, he had admitted something.
Even in his emptiness, he had claimed her.
---
Elsewhere
The ministers spoke in hushed tones.
"The Empress still lives. Impossible."
"Perhaps she has bewitched him."
"No. No one can bewitch a man without a heart."
The generals muttered over maps.
"He fights wars with no hesitation. He burns villages without blinking. But the girl… she lingers in his shadow, and still he does not cast her away. Why?"
In the kitchens, servants gossiped under the clatter of dishes.
"They say he does not touch her. Not like a husband should."
"Yet she smiles. As if his silence is enough."
"Maybe it is. Maybe she knows something we don't."
The palace breathed with questions. Fear. Curiosity. None dared ask aloud, but all eyes remained fixed on the Emperor and his bride.
---
Back in the Chamber
Himeka's voice was soft when it finally returned. "…Then let me be your chain. Even if it's not love. Even if it's just obsession. I'll stay."
Her tears slipped free, but her smile trembled with determination.
He stared at her for a long, silent moment.
Then, just barely, his gaze softened. Not warm. Not tender. But less sharp.
"…Foolish woman," he murmured, almost too quiet to hear.
And though his words were cold, Himeka felt her heart soar. Because beneath the frost, she had touched something real.
---
End of Chapter 24