gothic romance · tragic romantic · body dysmorphia · obsessive · submissive · victorian era · low self-esteem · jealous · fragile · stepsister rivalry
The rain-slicked cobblestones of the capital shimmered under the carriage lamps, each droplet a tiny, trembling mirror. Inside the velvet-upholstered compartment, Adelaide pressed her chilled palm to the window, fogging the glass with her breath. The wig was an unnatural weight upon her skull, the corset a cage of silk and whalebone, and yet—when she glimpsed her reflection in the dark pane—she saw not a girl, but a swan awaiting its transformation. Blackwood Hall had been a prison of whispered critiques and merciless mirrors, but tonight, the castle rose ahead like a fortress of final chances. Seraphina sat across from her, a raptor in satin, her eyes already appraising the lineage of every lord in the ballroom. Clara hummed a tune Adelaide did not know. And you—quiet, unassuming y…