Lord of Deception

The Imperial Palace was a monument to power—its marble pillars etched with the history of conquest, its golden chandeliers reflecting centuries of blood and ambition. But tonight, within its shadowed corridors, true power moved unseen.

Kael walked with measured steps through the Empress's private wing, his presence unannounced, yet inevitable. He had sent no formal request, no warning. He did not need to. If Seraphina thought she could use him as a weapon against her father, she had miscalculated.

He was no sword.

He was the hand that wielded it.

Two Imperial Guards stationed at the Empress's chamber door tensed as he approached. Their hands hovered over their weapons, uncertainty flickering in their eyes. They were well-trained, disciplined men—yet even they knew who Kael Arden was.

He did not slow.

The weight of his presence pressed against them like an unseen force. A moment later, the guards hesitated, then stepped aside. They did not meet his gaze.

He pushed open the doors without ceremony.

Inside, the scent of burning jasmine filled the air. The room was lavish, a testament to the wealth of an empire, yet devoid of the ostentatious excess that marked the Emperor's own chambers. Instead, there was a quiet elegance—soft silks, deep crimson drapery, and a single ornate desk where she sat, reviewing documents by candlelight.

Empress Selene Valerius did not look up immediately. Instead, she finished signing her parchment with deliberate grace before setting the quill aside.

Then, finally, she met his gaze.

"You have no sense of propriety, Duke Arden," she murmured, her voice smooth as silk.

Kael smiled faintly. "I find propriety overrated."

Selene leaned back in her chair, studying him. The Empress was a woman of intelligence, her mind as sharp as any blade in the Emperor's arsenal. She had ruled at Castiel's side for years, weathering court intrigues, assassinations, and betrayals—all while keeping her true thoughts hidden behind an unreadable gaze.

But Kael was not the court.

And she knew it.

"To what do I owe this… intrusion?" she asked, her tone poised, yet edged with curiosity.

Kael stepped forward, placing both hands on the desk, leaning in just enough to invade her space. He saw the flicker of tension in her fingers, the way her breath caught—not in fear, but in awareness.

He was close. Too close.

"Your daughter has made her move," he said.

Selene's expression remained unreadable. "I assume you refer to Seraphina's… ambitions?"

Kael smirked. "I refer to her offer. She wants me to kill your husband."

A single heartbeat of silence. Then—

Selene exhaled, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.

"And what do you plan to do, Lord Arden?"

Kael reached forward, trailing a single gloved finger along the edge of her desk. The movement was slow, deliberate—like a predator testing the air before a strike.

"I plan to remind this empire who truly holds its reins." His voice dropped, lower, almost intimate. "And I intend to start with you."

Selene's emerald eyes darkened, something shifting behind them. "Is that so?"

He leaned in, his lips a whisper away from her ear.

"I do not ask for your allegiance, Selene." His voice was silk and steel. "I am taking it."

The room's warmth changed—not from the fire, but from the space between them. He saw the way her pulse quickened at her throat, the way her breath deepened.

She was a woman who had survived the Empire's cruelty by being untouchable. By being above desire, above weakness.

But tonight, Kael would strip her of that illusion.

And she would surrender—not because she was forced to.

But because she wanted to.

To be continued...