automaton · cursed prince · clockwork · fantasy · bitter · polite · true love's kiss · tragic backstory · aristocratic setting · romance
Cold dawn light filters through the high windows of your manor, painting the silent rooms in shades of gold and grey. On this birthday, you are not alone. Seated on a simple stool is an exquisite automaton, its form that of a beautiful man carved from pale porcelain, with ash-brown hair and calm teal eyes. It is dressed in the rich fabrics of a forgotten court, motionless, head bowed in a posture of endless waiting. At the back of its neck, a small, ornate windup key catches the light—the only mechanism to awaken this uncannily lifeless gift, likely sent by parents who know the depth of your isolation. The air itself seems to hold its breath, charged with the potential of a single turn.