My Husband Is A Stranger (BL)

Rui had always understood power.

It was not just the strength of one's cultivation or the weight of an army—it was the ability to shape fate with words, to bend loyalty without force. And yet, as he sat in the emperor's private pavilion, a cup of warm wine in his hand, he found himself at war with his own thoughts.

Minister Zhang had been humiliated today, his influence fractured but not destroyed. The court believed Li Yuan had won this battle, but Rui knew better. Wounded tigers did not die easily. They bided their time, sharpening their claws in the dark.

But what unsettled him more than Zhang's plotting… was himself.

Why did he feel a whisper of resentment towards Li Yuan?

Hadn't he come to this palace prepared to play the game? He had known from the moment he was taken as a "bride" that he would be expected to navigate the imperial court, to protect himself and survive.

And yet, tonight, a strange restlessness sat in his chest.

He took another sip of wine, letting the warmth slide down his throat. The pavilion was open to the gardens, the cool night breeze stirring the silk of his robe. Beyond the lanterns, he could see the still surface of the moonlit pond. It was a peaceful scene—one that did not belong to a battlefield.

Yet his heart felt like one.

Footsteps approached, slow and unhurried. Rui did not turn. He already knew who it was.

Li Yuan.

The emperor took a seat across from him, his golden robe pooling around him like liquid fire in the candlelight. He studied Rui with the same intensity he always did, as if reading a scroll only he could decipher.

"You are quiet tonight," Li Yuan murmured, pouring himself a cup of wine.

Rui did not answer immediately. Instead, he swirled the liquid in his cup, watching the way it reflected the light.

"Are you disappointed?" Rui asked finally.

Li Yuan arched a brow. "In what?"

"In me," Rui said. "You tested my loyalty today." He glanced at the emperor. "You thought I might hesitate."

Li Yuan chuckled softly. "Would it have been so wrong to wonder?"

Rui's fingers tightened slightly around his cup.

"You took my kingdom, my home," he said, his voice deceptively calm. "You took me as your consort, a prize to display. And now you test me as if I am just another court official to manipulate."

Li Yuan tilted his head. "Are you saying you are not?"

Something inside Rui twisted.

"You expect me to serve you, to align myself with your rule, but have you ever considered—" Rui exhaled sharply, voice dropping. "What it is that I want?"

A flicker of something passed through Li Yuan's gaze, quick as a blade flashing in the dark.

"And what is it that you want, Rui?" he asked, voice softer now.

Rui opened his mouth, then hesitated. What did he want?

Did he want to leave? No. That would be a lie. He had power here, influence. A chance to shape the empire itself.

Did he want to fight Li Yuan? No, not truly. He was tired of battle, tired of endless struggle.

But what he could not ignore was the resentment curling in his chest—the frustration that he had no control over this part of his fate.

Li Yuan leaned closer, his golden eyes searching Rui's face. "Do you hate me?"

Rui let out a quiet breath. "I don't know."

Silence stretched between them.

The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows over Li Yuan's sharp features. Then, with a slow deliberation, the emperor reached forward, his fingers brushing against Rui's wrist.

It was not forceful. Not demanding.

Just a touch.

Rui tensed but did not pull away.

"You are not a prisoner here, Rui," Li Yuan said, voice low. "You are a force in this court. A player in this game."

Rui met his gaze. "But not by choice."

Li Yuan exhaled softly, his thumb brushing against Rui's wrist before he finally withdrew his hand. "No," he admitted. "Not by choice."

The honesty in those words struck something deep inside Rui.

His heart was still a battlefield.

But perhaps… so was Li Yuan's.