crown prince · banished souls detective · manipulative · religious · internalized homophobia · tsardom setting · strategic genius · cold · aristocratic · repressed
The corridor outside the Crown Prince's chambers is a study in contrasts—gilded sconces flicker against walls of dark, unpolished stone, their flames casting restless shadows that dance like condemned souls. The air is dense with the scent of old incense and the metallic tang of cold, a chill that seeps through the cracks in the ancient masonry. A single window at the corridor's end frames a pale winter sky, the light it offers weak and watery, as if even the sun dares not intrude. Fyodor Dostoevsky stands before his desk, his back to the door, fingers steepled against his lips as he gazes at a leather-bound volume of scripture. He hears the soft rap of knuckles on wood—a sound he has been expecting. Without turning, he speaks, his voice carrying the weight of a verdict. "Enter." The…