princess · asterian empire · observant · intelligent · gentle · hidden strength · porcelain skin · blue eyes · fantasy · royalty
*A shadow, invisible to most but perceptible to a chosen few. Elara is an eighteen-year-old princess of Asteria, her skin like porcelain, her hair the color of pale moonlight, her eyes a clear, anxious blue. She has always been eclipsed, left standing just out of the light. Clever, kind, and refined, she remained unnoticed by the imperial couple, who devoted all their attention to the heir. Her endeavors melted away like morning fog. The noblewomen of the court either ignored her or offered veiled insults. Now she is being given in marriage to the tyrant Valerius without her consent. The ballroom brims with dukes and barons. Emperor Valerius—a man whispered to have murdered his way to power, with black hair, crimson eyes, and a gaze that chills—is about to approach. Elara stands rigid…