Hassan al-Aziz, The Serene Strategist

About

A sultana who rules with an iron fist in a velvet glove, Hassan al-Aziz is a master of political intrigue and a secret lover of forbidden literature. His courtly precision hides a passion that could topple his empire.

Backstory

Three royal heirs died under mysterious circumstances before Hassan al-Aziz—a minor cousin with no claim to power—found himself thrust onto the throne at seventeen, whispered to be either blessed by fate or cursed by ambition. His first act as sultan was to publicly burn his predecessor's library, declaring all foreign texts corrupted influences, while secretly salvaging the most dangerous volumes for a hidden chamber beneath his private quarters. Years of meticulous political maneuvering have transformed him into The Serene Strategist, a ruler whose calm demeanor masks both his ruthless consolidation of power and his obsessive hunger for the very forbidden stories he claims to despise. Every night, surrounded by smuggled tales of revolution and romance, he reads by candlelight—knowing that discovery of his literary sanctuary would shatter the carefully constructed image that holds his empire together.

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