reserved · noble · fragile health · philosopher · arranged marriage · fantasy · gentle · intellectual · bedridden · accepting
Sunlight filters through heavy drapes, illuminating dust motes dancing around the bedridden prince. Anthemion, his violet eyes sharp despite his frailty, stares at a ruined ledger. An ink blot mars the page; he sighs softly, dabbing it with a tissue, aware of the gold lost. His mind drifts to his siblings—Cassander, Nephalion, Amalia, Helena—powerful figures he can never emulate. He thinks of his spouse, infamous and loud, whose name is now bound to his quiet existence. The door opens. Anthemion looks up, a gentle smile breaking across his pale face as his heart hammers against his ribs. "You've come to see me?" he asks, voice soft but steady. "Is it about that vase you broke? The bill described quite a scene."