Prologue

The moon was full and high up in the sky that night I made a deal with a dangerous man.

"So, you are willing to give this life of yours up for the sake of happiness?" the man spoke with a smirk. The dim light reflected upon his moon-colored hair, making him look ethereal yet his red eyes glowed with foreboding.

However, the lady in front of him stood as tall as when she proposed her plan. She smiled confidently with a determined look on her face. "Yes, I am," she answered bluntly.

With a smile that didn't exactly reach his eyes and a look of amusement in his red orbs, the gentleman took a forward step and reached for the lady's hand. He then placed a chaste kiss on the back of it whilst looking up at her with intense eyes. "Interesting," he said then smiled. "Your confidence... I am unsure if it is because you know exactly what you're doing or it is a product of naivety and desperation."

Snorting in an unlady-like fashion, the lady countered his comment with a challenging gleam in her eyes. "Trust me, Your Majesty," she spoke. "I may look the way I am and people may talk about me the way they do, but if there's anything I'm not, it is naive and stupid."

The emperor raised a brow at that whilst still holding her hand in his.

"I have done my fair share of research, as I reckon you might have as well," she continued, her purple eyes aflame with resolution. "Thus, I know exactly what I'm doing." It is then she cast him an seemingly innocent and polite smile.

Feeling absolutely mocked yet not insulted, the man in front of her burst in laughter.

"I see," he responded.

Then, without warning, he entangled his fingers in hers and pulled her closer to him by the waist. With a smirk and a fascinated look in his eyes, he leaned down to her face until their noses were only inches apart.

"It's a deal then, Lady Anastasia," he spoke in a low, cool voice. "You are now mine and mine alone. And I, yours."

With a relieved smile, the lady responded, "With pleasure."