Here, the empress falls for the only man who is her equal: The brutal, battle-hardened general. On paper, this is a match made in hellish heaven. They conquer nations together. They are Bonnie and Clyde with crowns.
The Dynamic: Explosive passion followed by explosive violence. Their love language is warfare. They respect each other’s ruthlessness but are incapable of trust. Every night of passion is followed by a morning of suspected treason.
Why it’s “Atrocious”: These storylines are addictive because they are volcanic. But they are bad relationships because they cannot last. The empress will eventually see the general as a threat to her throne, and he will see her as a weakness to be exploited. The romance inevitably ends in a duel to the death or a brutal betrayal. The audience loves the chemistry, but the narrative wisely shows that two tyrants cannot share a pillow.
Trope Warning: This often leads to the “I can fix her” (or “I can fix him”) dynamic, which fails spectacularly. The empress does not want to be fixed; she wants to be feared.
This is where the "atrociousness" becomes deliciously dark. The empress takes a lover—usually her most loyal general, a shadowy spymaster, or a conquered prince she keeps as a pet.
The Bad Relationship Dynamic: The power imbalance is astronomical. She is the sovereign; he is her subject. He worships her boots. She, in turn, sees him as a tool she happens to find attractive. She manipulates his loyalty for military gains. He mistakes her manipulation for passion.
Toxic Romantic Storyline Alert: The Devotion Trap. He swears he can “heal” her. He believes his love will soften the Atrocious Empress. Spoiler alert: It does not. Instead, she drags him down into her moral abyss. She asks him to commit atrocities—burning villages, executing prisoners—in the name of their love. When he hesitates, she weaponizes her affection. “If you truly loved me,” she whispers, “you would do this.”
This storyline is a masterclass in toxic codependency. He loses his honor; she loses the only person who might have saved her. The romance is not sweet; it is a car crash in slow motion.
If you are writing or reading this trope, look for these red flags that signal a truly toxic romantic storyline: