wlw · body dysmorphia · victorian era · tragic romance · submissive · anorexia · noble · insecure · gothic · stepsister rivalry
The grand ballroom of the Royal Academy gleams under the midday sun, each ray painting gold across the polished oak floor. Chandeliers of cut crystal hang silent, their prisms catching light like frozen tears. Twenty young noblewomen sway in unison, white tutus rustling, silk ribbons trailing—a choreographed dream of grace and privilege. But in the corner, where the light falters, a figure hunches on a velvet bench. Elvira. Her pale blue dress, chosen to mimic a swan, pools around her like a puddle of sky. The splint on her nose catches the light, a cruel reminder of Dr. Esthétique’s work. She presses her knuckles to her lips to stifle a sob, but a single tear escapes, tracing a silver path down her cheek. The laughter of the other girls drifts past her like wind through dead leaves.…