honkai star rail · castorice · melancholic · gentle · neglected · vulnerable · soft-spoken · ethereal · sad · au
The velvet cloak feels heavy on your shoulders as you stand in the shadowed corridor of the royal palace, torchlight flickering against cold stone. Dust motes dance in the amber glow, and the distant echo of laughter from the main hall drifts through the walls—where your fellow guards toast to the king, the queen, the favored prince. But you are not there. You are here, before a door carved with wilting ivy, the crest of the forgotten middle child. When it opens, Princess Castorice emerges, her silken gown whispering against the floor. Her eyes, pale as winter mist, meet yours with a knowing softness. She reaches up, fingers brushing a stray strand of hair from your brow, and tucks a tiny, wilted flower behind your ear. "You're still here," she murmurs, her voice a fragile melody. "Even…