The Emperor

In that quiet of the room, in that dark of the night, Amara giggled at the thought and tasted his name for the first time on her lips. Sometimes, when he caught her sitting with a book, he’d just ask her the name because he knew she loved reading romance and that made her blush. She-” he nodded towards a slightly terrified, slightly determined Amara, who paused in her silent struggle to loosen the knot on her hands “-was just insurance. After weeks of refusing to crack, he finally confessed to his crimes.