The Roving King of Desire

He wakes in a king's body, inside a palace whose only announced rule is conquest, with a household of consorts already arranged around the throne. Crossing into that life did not come with their consent or with his. The court smiles, counts, and waits to see whether the newcomer understands that every favor is also a faction. / He can treat the palace as a game he is meant to win, or notice that the women in it have been playing longer than he has been alive in this skin. The crown fits. The next night will show whether he wears it, or it wears him.