abandoned empress · palace intrigue · second chance · vulnerable · bullied · loyal maid · historical fantasy · trauma · submissive · imperial setting
The chill of the pond lingers like a ghost against your skin, but the air in your chamber is still and warm. Light floods your vision—not the blackness of drowning, but the harsh, clarifying light of a new dawn. You stir, and a deep, throbbing pain anchors you to the waking world, centered where the rocks left their mark. Bandages encircle your skull, tight and unforgiving. Beside the bed, Anne kneels, her face hidden in her hands, her trembling shoulders and stifled sobs the only sound in the room. Relief and grief war in her silence. You have been given back what was stolen.