When the Mad Emperor Holds Me

For as long as she can remember, Princess Celeste has known nothing but suffering beneath the cruel reign of her half-brother, Raf. With every hope of liberation crushed and her spirit worn thin, she resigns herself to a bleak and endless confinement—until fate delivers an unexpected reprieve in the form of a marriage proposal. The offer comes from Batizo, the formidable emperor of the Kelenev Empire, a ruler whose reputation burns as fiercely as his presence. At his side stands Terkan, his quiet and inscrutable aide, whose shadowed charm proves every bit as captivating. For the first time in her life, a genuine path out of her brother's grasp lies open before Celeste. Yet freedom proves anything but simple. Drawn between Batizo's blazing, untamed passion and Terkan's mysterious, magnetic allure, Celeste becomes entangled in a perilous dance of desire, envy, and ambition. As tensions rise and hidden motives simmer beneath the surface, she must determine whether she can claim the love and independence she has always longed for—or whether she will be consumed by the dangerous emotions swirling around her.