[he is not end game. He is not 1st love interest or even 2nd love interest./] .
Honestly, this way is much better. She is so fucking badass and she deserves someone equally badass. The only thing going for the emperor is that he is the EMPEROR.

Our MC is witty, crazy strong and deserves lots of love. He will never put her first.
here is the link
https://forum.novelupdates.com/threads/contract-concubine.100595/
Feel free to check it out yourself