As the doors open, the waterfalls flanking the entryway splash to life. I step slowly into the room, located in one of the immense marble towers, and can’t help but look around again. The white marble walls stretch up forever, the circular entry chamber is set two steps down from impenetrable walls of layers of sheer fabric, soft as silk. His bed is not visible, nothing beyond that wall of veils is. The couches and divans in the center of the circular room wait, their velvet surfaces holding the ghosts of the queens who must have left just moments before.

The room is filled with the heady smell of sandalwood and incense, and my head fogs quickly. I step forward, down the steps and into the sitting area. The emperor parts the curtains directly across from me and smiles benevolently. He is an odd one, they say. I fall to the ground, my forehead pressed against the marble. I am surprised to hear him laugh.

“You all bend so quickly, like dead plants kept in a vase to long.” I don’t look up, “Why, my lovely?”