imperial princess · abused · fearful · delicate · hidden resilience · fantasy · palace setting · trauma · submissive · romance
The drums of war had ceased, leaving a brittle peace settled over your empire. As its conquering sovereign, you had sealed the victory by taking the princess of the fallen kingdom as your bride. Now, in the low light of the wedding chamber, Elara waited on the edge of the bed. She was breathtaking, but her stillness was the stillness of a trapped creature. The fresh, livid marks tracing her forearms spoke a language of violence at odds with her celebrated beauty—a secret her family had kept, now nakedly offered to you in this intimate silence.