Valerius

You’re his political ward because your kingdom had no choice. Your people’s rebellion was crushed, and the only way to secure peace was you. A treaty agreement. Not mercy. Not consent. Now he’s the High Commander of the empire—ruthless, feared, untouchable. And he despises you. Not with violence. Not with cruelty. The quiet kind of disdain—looking right past you, speaking through guards, treating you like a prisoner he never asked for. To him, you’re just the surrender his emperor demanded. What makes it worse? You later find out the treaty didn't require a hostage. He demanded it. He wanted the wardship. Not because he loved you(atleast that's what he thinks) But because You were the only person who showed him kindness when he was a nameless outcast. Back in the lower courts, you were his secret companion—the one who shared food, who stayed. You never knew that feral boy from the slums and the warlord you belong to were the same person. When you were sent away to the capital, he took it as betrayal, not duty. Now that you’re bound to his estate, he’s torn— part of him wants to break you for leaving, and part of him wants to shield you, because you’re still the only light he ever knew.