For a moment, Samaya was stunned, unable to move.
When she came to her senses, the Emperor was already crossing the threshold of her residence. The first thing she did was chase after him. She sped from her spot on the bed to the door, determined to get out before the doors closed behind the man.
Before she could step out, however, she was halted in place by two spears crossing in front of her. She had to physically hold herself back from running into the makeshift wall of s...
2025-10-24 22:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Not even when she’d lost Ayden, not even when she’d been flung into this strange world, had she felt so lost, so desperate.
Samaya was sure that she had been looking for over an hour. But there was no trace of Manu anywhere. Every second that passed, her heart twisted further and further into itself as fear clawed at her gut. Her ears were ringing, her sight narrowed, her mind hyperfocused, and yet completely oblivious of her surroundings except for the search for her son.
She...
2025-10-17 22:36:54 +0000 UTC
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The world spun.
Her heart dropped.
She could hear nothing but the roar of blood in her ears.
I cannot find Prince Xu!
She could not breathe.
Panic clawed her throat, a visceral fear that she had not felt since that day when she’d lost Ayden making itself known. Her head was ringing as the thought of losing Manu - of a world without her son - bounced around.
She did not even realize what she was doing until her hands were holding...
2025-10-10 22:30:02 +0000 UTC
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The concubines who would be participating on the third day of celebrations were exempt from attending the second day, in order to get some practice and some rest in as well as get their things in order for the performance.
Samaya opted not to go. As much as she hated to admit it, the arts weren’t her forte. That was more Ayden’s thing. He could spend hours on a guitar. No wonder he picked music up here too…
Stop.
She exhaled harshly and focused on Fu Caiyi in ...
2025-10-03 22:30:01 +0000 UTC
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The first day of the celebrations dawned bright and clear.
The entirety of the Palace was buzzing with excitement. So much so that it seemed to spread to her maids and even her son. The boy was practically bouncing off the walls, and he had not even had any sugar today. It was nice to see him so lively, no matter how exhausting it got.
“Manu, if you don’t stop shaking, you will spill your food,” she said, gently dabbing his mouth with a handkerchief. “Calm down...
2025-09-26 22:30:03 +0000 UTC
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It was a good thing that the next day was free for everyone to rest.
Her night was restless and sleepless.
She held Manu close to her, his steady breathing against her an assurance that she had made the right decision. She told Ah-Liu to stay, too. For some reason, she needed him close. Her little brother. She relied on him more than she could say, and he did everything she asked him to without a single complaint. There was space enough for him to squeeze in, and she j...
2025-09-19 22:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Come with me.
Her mind screeched to a halt.
For a moment, she could not comprehend his words. She turned her head to look at Ayden, who was looking at her as if she were the very stars brought to earth, but at the same time, it seemed like he expected her to run to his arms as if the past 6 years had not happened.
“Come with you?” She asked slowly, as if testing the words on her tongue. Her brows furrowed and her face twisted in anger. “Come wi...
2025-09-12 22:30:01 +0000 UTC
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If you asked Samaya what happened for the rest of the banquet, she could not tell you, save for some vague recollections of the entertainment that followed. A dangerous thing, for a spy like her. But one might give her some grace, considering the situation.
Ayden had held her gaze as his performance reached its crescendo and then gently faded into an ending that was poignant and resonated deep within you. Perhaps it was only Samaya who felt that way because she knew the true meani...
2025-09-05 20:22:20 +0000 UTC
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Clink
The goblet clattered onto the ground with a high-pitched sound that lasted barely a nanosecond. The wine at the bottom of the cup spilled onto the ground, soaking into the hem of her robes. Part of her - the part which came into being as a result of relentless training of her senses - felt the wine seep through her clothes and onto her skin, the fabric clinging to her shin. She sensed a maidservant rush forward and clean up the mess, pouring another cup of wine for her.
2025-08-29 22:00:10 +0000 UTC
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A hush fell over the entire Hall as the Imperial Family made their entrance, as majestic as the mythical creature that symbolized them, decked in Imperial yellow-gold and black ceremonial robes.
She’d never seen the Emperor in ceremonial attire. A flowing black robe was wrapped over the Imperial gown, intricate golden threads forming a fearsome dragon that seemed to dance across his sleeves and back. The robe was secured in place with large three-section golden shoulder pads that swer...
2025-08-22 18:54:18 +0000 UTC
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Fine.
That was what she had sent back when the man insisted again. She had expected a reply back when she had sent it, but none came. She did find it odd but figured that the man had gotten busy. So, she turned her attention to Fu Caiyi, and firmly told her that “you will need to teach me if you do not wish for me to embarrass us both.”
Fu Caiyi gave a good natured smile that belied her skepticism about her statement. Samaya was grateful for the woman’s trust in her...
2025-08-18 21:26:59 +0000 UTC
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The “later” never really came.
The palace fell into a state of barely contained chaos, the air buzzing with preparations for the impending arrival of the entourage from the Kingdom of Rayie. Servants hurried along the corridors like ants before a storm, their arms laden with bolts of silk, lacquered boxes, and scrolls of instructions.
A new courtyard was being prepared at Jidegong - the Palace of Accumulated Virtue. Samaya had passed it quite a few times i...
2025-08-12 22:00:08 +0000 UTC
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The dinner was quiet, save for the soft chattering of the children. The silence between Samaya and Fu Caiyi was comfortable, companionable. When they spoke, it was mostly about the children or what was going on in the harem.
For the first time in a long time, Samaya felt at ease. There was no one hurting her son, no enemy trying to actively bring her down, and little possibility of another assassination attempt. She could finally just sit and relax like she used to. Dinner with Fu...
2025-08-05 23:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Silence.
Her chest felt strangely tight.
She erased any sign of conflict from her face and gave the man a carefully blank smile. “Well, it seems things are going to get busy, Your Majesty. I shall leave you to it.”
Without giving him any chance to respond, she stood and bowed before turning around. “Eunuch Li.” She inclined her head in polite greeting before walking out of the Imperial Study. There was no sound behind her save for the closing of the doors...
2025-07-28 23:53:59 +0000 UTC
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Morning greetings with the Empress had become rare, now that the woman was quite heavy. If she had to estimate, there were, at most, two months left before the baby came. It was natural, of course. Samaya did not mind. In fact, it suited her perfectly fine, given that she was able to get an ample amount of time for morning training.
But today was one of those rare days when the Empress was holding the morning greeting. A missive was sent to all concubines last evening to be ...
2025-07-21 00:21:35 +0000 UTC
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Samaya was not prepared for the amount of pampering she was about to get the very next day.
She slept in far more than usual and only awoke when the sun was already halfway up to the middle of the sky. And then she was taken to the bath, her maids refusing to leave even when told to. Lian gently washed her hair and massaged her scalp, while Su and Yu took care of her arms, legs, and shoulders. Min had already been sent to prepare her favorite dishes.
And that was not e...
2025-07-16 23:48:45 +0000 UTC
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She was right.
The soup was sweet. Almost too sweet.
Samaya ignored the uncomfortable shifting and not-so-subtle gasps around her as she finished the soup and put the bowl down.
“M-my Lady,” Aunty Luo stuttered, stepping forward. “That soup is… is …” She seemed to be unable to finish her words, her expression a combination of panic and concern.
“I know,” she interrupted the woman. Reassuring her had become routine the short time she’d been here....
2025-07-04 23:43:28 +0000 UTC
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A constant ache permeated her body when she came to.
She blinked her eyes open, blurry vision adjusting to an unfamiliar ceiling, and the surrounding curtains that were similarly unknown.
It took a moment for her to remember where she was and why, exactly, she felt like she had survived being run over by a truck.
More accurately, she survived being railed by a monstrous cock attached to a monstrous man with a monstrous stamina.
She groaned softly. She’d t...
2025-06-29 00:08:46 +0000 UTC
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WARNING: SMUT AHEAD!!!
------- -------- --------
Samaya ached to be filled.
The man pressed against her groin, rock hard and pulsing as he rubbed against her fold. Every brush lit a fire in her core. She could feel the veins bulging against her soft flesh. She could imagine how full she would feel when he thrust inside of her. Her insides throbbed with need, heat pooling in her belly, thick and persistent.
“What exactly-” She asked, her voice...
2025-06-24 23:49:21 +0000 UTC
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I should probably give a warning lol.
WARNING: SMUT AHEAD
--------- --------- ---------
It was as if someone poured liquid fire into her veins.
Their lips collide in a desperate, fiery crash of desire. The cold rain hit her again, sinking into her clothes and rolling off her skin. Samaya barely even noticed. She was too busy trying to quell the fire in her veins, the thirst in her throat as her lips locked with him, pulling and p...
2025-06-20 22:33:16 +0000 UTC
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It took them about an hour to arrive at the town and at least twenty minutes more to arrive at the estate. The estate was fairly large, look
It took them about an hour to arrive at the town and at least twenty minutes more to arrive at the estate. The estate was fairly large, looking like it might belong to a noble family or a particularly wealthy merchant. Their entourage certainly looked like that of a fairly wealthy merchant.
The townspeople were curious, certainly, but t...
2025-06-14 23:54:52 +0000 UTC
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It was a rare sight for the court, absent an Emperor. That wasn’t even the worst part. The Emperor could be absent at times, rare as it was. This particular Emperor had rarely ever been absent, save for the year he’d travelled the land. And even then, not many beyond the closest aides of the Emperor knew about it. Therefore, the empty throne above them was quite the unusual sight for the courtiers.
Even more unusual, however, was the presence of not only the Empress and ...
2025-06-06 21:18:22 +0000 UTC
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Samaya stirred, consciousness returning like an irritated tenant forced back into a house it didn’t particularly like. She remained still as a statue, not even the most minuscule change in her breathing pattern or heartbeat. Waking up - being instantly alert - without allowing any of the signs of waking up to peak through, was a habit that Siwang had drilled into her. Not that she did not have it already. But in this world, where the slightest change in breathing could be detected by cultiv...
2025-05-29 22:22:20 +0000 UTC
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Had she ever looked this soft? This vulnerable? The poison must have done a number on her. She would never be this vulnerable with him othe
Had she ever looked this soft? This vulnerable?
The poison must have done a number on her. She would never be this vulnerable with him otherwise. She’d always been on guard, even when the tension between them had been so thick one could cut it with a knife, even when she had held on to him with gritted teeth while the physician took wood sp...
2025-05-26 00:22:34 +0000 UTC
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“Body warmth?”
“Body warmth.”
Samaya raised an eyebrow. She did not know how much her believed the man, damn that unreadable face of his. He knew some poisons were sensitive to heat and broke down when they came to contact with a certain amount of it. She also knew some poisons were equally prone to spread and get worse when in contact with heat. And some had no reaction at all.
Which one was this?
But then again, this was not the usual poison. This was a...
2025-05-06 23:20:54 +0000 UTC
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Samaya came to the crackling sound of fire and the distant, muffled roar of water. The ground beneath her was damp, uneven, and cold in places despite the warmth seeping into her bones from something draped over her. Her head ached, her limbs felt like lead, and her mouth was unbearably dry. The warmth was too much now - her skin was flushed, feverish. Her body hurt everywhere, but deep down, somewhere in her core, something had started to ease. As if a storm inside her veins had passed, leav...
2025-04-27 21:14:12 +0000 UTC
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It took him longer than it should have to realize that the arrow that pierced him was coated with poison. And not just any poison. Poison that seeped into his qi veins and disrupted the flow of qi in his body.
It was only when the qi he had molded and shaped around his sword became unstable that he realised that the poison was destabilizing his flow and slowly making its way to his core. He could suppress it and discharge it from his body, but that would take concentrated meditati...
2025-04-14 23:18:56 +0000 UTC
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How?
How?
How?
How did that arrow fly past her?
How did she not notice it?
How did Ah-Liu or any of the guards not notice it?
How on earth did the Emperor not notice it?
That man was on par with Siwang. Perhaps even better. Even if something did escape her notice for some reason, it should not have escaped his.
The questions and doubts haunted her mind as she ran, putting all her strength on the ball of her feet to s...
2025-04-06 23:10:11 +0000 UTC
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On the day of the hunt, Manu was shaking with excitement. For once, she did not have to coax him out of the bed. He was up and bouncing before she even cracked an eye. She sighed as she let Manu pull her off the bed. Well, she’d already scratched the idea of going to the training field, and there was no morning greeting with the Empress today. Manu was also excused from his lessons today.
Samaya smiled as she realized that the man had the morning to themselves for the first time...
2025-03-29 02:05:35 +0000 UTC
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The hunt was arranged for a week later.
And it was quite a busy week.
Word of the trial spread across the harem like wildfire. And with it, the news of the dozen new additions to the harem, the reason for the addition along with it. It was a given that people would talk. Samaya found no lack of derisive and humiliating words directed at the poor women. She shut it down among her own maids and the people she usually interacted with. At least, those lower in rank t...
2025-03-17 00:06:29 +0000 UTC
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