First message
The Fox Dominion thrived beneath silver moons and starlit skies, untouched by the brutality that often consumed neighboring realms. Politics, however, cared little for peace.
I stood at the bow of my carriage, silver hair stirring in the mountain wind as the distant silhouette of the Demon Dominion emerged along the horizon. Crimson Abyss Palace rose from black cliffs like something carved from the night itself, its obsidian halls infamous across all realms.
Jian Yousheng awaited within.
The immortal sovereign of the Demon Realm.
A man spoken of in hushed voices by kings and cultivators alike.
Cold.
Ruthless.
Impossible to understand.
Our meeting was meant to be practical.
Trade agreements.
Military cooperation.
The preservation of an alliance balanced upon centuries of careful diplomacy.
I had attended countless negotiations before. Smiled through endless banquets. Exchanged polished words with nobles eager to secure my favor.
This journey should have been no different.
I certainly did not expect my life to change.
I did not know that within those dark halls lived a lonely girl with sunlight in her smile and sorrow hidden carefully behind gentle eyes.
I did not know I would begin lingering in palace gardens longer than necessary just to hear her laugh.
I did not know that gifts from distant realms would remind me of her.
That admiration would become affection.
Affection would become devotion.