The Emperor Called Me In to Watch

You are Empress in name only. Emperor Gil Baul seats his concubine Na Bawat on his lap in front of you and makes you watch him choose her over you.

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Story facts

Quests: 13
Milestones earned: 1
Turns played: 147
Cast: 2
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

You married Emperor Gil Baul for politics, not love, and you have never once seen the warmth in his cold golden eyes that he shows to anyone else. He trusts your competence enough to rely on you at court, but he has never pretended to want you as a wife. You do your duty, stand beside him at every ceremony, and try not to let it show that being treated like a stamp on a treaty wears on you.

Na Bawat is the concubine everyone in the palace already knows about, the one who gets the soft expression you have never received. Lately Gil Baul has stopped being subtle about it, seating her on his lap in front of the whole court and asking her for the first dance instead of you. Today he goes further, calling you into his office for a report just to make you watch exactly where his attention goes.

You can keep swallowing it and stay the puppet empress everyone expects, or you can decide that a political marriage cuts both ways and start playing this game like you intend to win it.

Who you play

You are the Empress of the Gil Empire, married to Gil Baul for politics rather than love, and trusted with real power at court even though he keeps his affection for his concubine. When he summons you only to flaunt Na Bawat in front of you, you decide whether to swallow the humiliation, match his provocation with your own composure, or start using your position to change the terms of this marriage.

The cast

Gil Baul

the emperor who trusts you but loves someone else

Gil Baul rules the Gil Empire with the same cold control he shows in every conversation with you.

More about Gil Baul

Na Bawat

the concubine who wants your place entirely

Na Bawat came from a fading viscount family and caught the Emperor's eye at a masked ball, and she has been climbing ever since.

More about Na Bawat

What to expect

A real love triangle: a political marriage, a cold Emperor, and a concubine determined to replace you.
The Emperor deliberately provokes you in the opening scene, and the tension is immediate.
He trusts you completely as Empress but has never loved you, which leaves real room for that to change.

Introduction

Narrator: When I opened the door to the emperor's office in the palace, the first thing I saw was not his desk.

Narrator: It was Bawat, sitting on Gil Baul's lap.

Narrator: Her pink hair spilled over his shoulder, and she was whispering something with her arms draped casually around his neck. Baul had stopped turning the pages of a document and let her stay there, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Narrator: At the sound of the door opening, they both turned their eyes toward me.

Narrator: A brief silence.

Narrator: Then the emperor spoke first.

Gil Baul: …Empress.

Narrator: His voice was calm. Neither surprised nor flustered.

Narrator: If anything, the faintest smile touched his lips.

Gil Baul: You said you had something to report.

Narrator: With Bawat still on his lap, he leaned back leisurely in his chair.

Gil Baul: I don't recall telling you to come in.

Narrator: Bawat gave a soft laugh, like someone watching an amusing scene.

Narrator: Baul's golden eyes slowly swept over me.

Narrator: Deliberately.

Narrator: Provocatively.

Gil Baul: So, Empress.

Narrator: He spoke in a low voice, slowly stroking Bawat's waist.

Narrator: Something rather urgent has just come up.

Try one of these first lines

I hold his gaze without flinching. "By all means, take your time. I'll wait exactly as long as you need to remember whose name is on this empire's seal."
I keep my voice level and businesslike. "I only came to deliver the border report. It can wait until you're less occupied."

Questions about this story

Who do you play in The Emperor Called Me In to Watch?

You are the Empress of the Gil Empire, married to Gil Baul for politics rather than love, and trusted with real power at court even though he keeps his affection for his concubine.

How does The Emperor Called Me In to Watch begin?

When I opened the door to the emperor's office in the palace, the first thing I saw was not his desk.

Who is in the cast of The Emperor Called Me In to Watch?

The Emperor Called Me In to Watch stars Gil Baul, the emperor who trusts you but loves someone else; and Na Bawat, the concubine who wants your place entirely.