Chapter 57: My Father Is Emperor

For a long time, she didn't understand. Her mind just couldn't wrap around it. "You mean your father rules several planets? Like a king or president."

"No, your word would be emperor," he said and she could hear his reluctance to speak of it.

"You're a prince?" A prince, in line to become emperor. What did that make her? A concubine? Princess? No, they weren't married. She drew back from him and a queasy feeling settled in her stomach, like she'd swallowed a ball of snow.

"Not the way you understand it." His eyes tracked her movements, his body tensing as if to draw her back to him.

"Make me understand it."

He'd never really trusted her. So, why was he telling her all of this now?

"In our culture, cunning and learning matters, but strength matters most. My blood, my family come from a very strong, very savage bloodline."

"Oh." She didn't know what else to say.

"If we weren't capable of being vicious, we'd never have ruled this long."